The Executive Director of the Busia Institute for Rural and Democratic Development (BIRDD), Anane Agyei, has underscored the significance of political ideology in shaping leadership direction and ensuring accountability in democratic systems.

He described political ideology as the moral compass without which leadership risks becoming directionless.

The governance advocate said this in an interview with journalists after attending the International Democrat Union (IDU) Forum held in Brussels, Belgium, recently.

Mr Agyei shared deep reflections on the role of ideological conviction in shaping coherent, principled governance, especially within the African political context.

“What the IDU Forum reinforced for me is that ideologies are not relics of a bygone political era—they are the enduring frameworks that give coherence to governance, stability to policy and clarity to leadership. Without guiding principles, political decision-making becomes reactive, episodic and vulnerable to manipulation,” Mr Agyei said.

The IDU forum, a convening of global centre-right political actors, explored pressing issues around democratic resilience, leadership ethics and the role of conservative values in a fast-changing world. 

Ideologies

Mr Agyei observed that many democracies, including those in Africa, face the risk of ideological dilution in the face of populist pressures and short-term political interests.

“Governance without ideology is like architecture without design—functional perhaps, but often without meaning or vision. Especially in Africa, where the challenges of development and leadership are complex, we need a return to values-based governance that draws from both our philosophical roots and contemporary democratic ideals, "the Executive Director of the BIRDD said.

Mr Agyei, whose institute draws intellectual inspiration from the political philosophy of Dr K.A. Busia, the Prime Minister of the Second Republic, affirmed that Ghana’s own Danquah-Busia-Dombo tradition (the current New Patriotic Party) offers a living model of principled democratic thought rooted in freedom, human dignity and service.

Reflecting on his participation, he stated: “The IDU platform affirmed that across cultures and continents, there remains a hunger for integrity in public leadership. Our task, particularly in Africa, is to raise a generation of leaders who are not just politically skilled but morally grounded and ideologically literate.”

“Public leadership must be more than a contest for power.

It must be a calling to serve a vision rooted in principle. In this regard, ideology is not exclusionary; it is ethical. It tells the leader not just what is possible, but what is right," he stated.

Under his leadership, the Busia Institute has initiated programmes such as the upcoming Centre-Right Campaign, which will cultivate ideological awareness and ethical political engagement among Ghanaian youth.

The institute is also preparing for the launch of a major policy book titled “Ghana’s Free SHS Policy: A Strategic Revolution of Minds and Futures”, underscoring the broader socio-political impact of education reform.