ABSTRACT
As a model state, Ghana is frequently touted for its stability, democratic governance, and robust development. It is one of the fastest growing economies in the developing world and the site of competitive foreign direct investment. Amid divergent models of political and economic development including reform, is fierce competition for markets and power by China, and, to a lesser extent, Japan. China’s geopolitical interests are hotly contested, but palpably resource driven; while Japan, whose postwar success catapulted the country to the much-heralded “East Asian miracle” aims to flex its economic muscle on the continent. This chapter argues that despite lucrative economic engagement with China, securing an upper-middle-income status will depend on how well Ghana eschews donor state dependency; what lessons it learns from Japan, and how it navigates externally directed reforms to protect and expand agency. This will offer a unique development blueprint for resource-endowed Ghana in the 21st century.
