"Ghana is not just an anarchic state, it's a vampire state”- Prof Aning on missing ECG containers

Security analyst Professor Kwesi Aning has criticized Ghana’s governance system. He described the country as both anarchic and a "vampire state."

This term highlights the rampant looting of state resources. Those in power are supposed to protect these resources but instead exploit them.

In an interview on JoyNews' Newsfile, Prof. Aning expressed his concerns. He said leaders act like political vampires, draining the state's lifeblood for personal gain. Meanwhile, citizens suffer the consequences.

“This is not only an anarchic state... This is also a vampire state,” he stated on Saturday, April 5. He emphasized that those in authority suck the state's blood and then lecture it when needed.

His comments follow a scandal involving over 1,300 containers belonging to the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG). These containers disappeared from Tema Ports under mysterious circumstances.

Prof. Aning criticized officials for mischaracterizing this scandal. They refer to the containers as “missing” instead of calling it theft.

“Missing is when your wallet drops, and you don’t know,” he explained. “Stealing is when somebody deliberately picks it from your pocket.”

He believes this scandal reflects a larger systemic failure in Ghana. Public institutions have become tools for elite capture and personal enrichment at ordinary citizens' expense.