Political Communication in an Emerging Democracy: A Framing Analysis of Presidential Inaugural Addresses in Ghana’s Fourth Republic

Abstract

This is a framing analysis of the inaugural addresses of the various presidents in Ghana’s Fourth Republic, to date. The presidential inaugural address is the most significant speech a president gives after being sworn in. The chapter critically analyzes the use of language by various Ghanaian leaders, as contained in their inaugural addresses. The study used framing theory-guided approach as the conceptual framework and framing analysis as the methodological approach to examine the various inaugural addresses by J.J. Rawlings, J.A. Kufuor, J.E.A. Mills, J.D. Mahama, and Nana Akufo-Addo. Specifically, the chapter investigates how two broad framing devices—diagnostic and prognostic frames, ably supported by other sub-frames—can be used as political communication tools to mediate public discourse and set the agenda of the various presidents. In Ghana, most studies have approached such speeches from a purely linguistic perspective, mostly applying transitivity or the taxonomy of speeches. The chapter provides rich insights into the underlying meanings of the inaugural addresses of the presidents in their political communications beyond linguistic or rhetorical considerations. The approach deconstructs the socio-political context within which speech acts occur and interrogates their ideological underpinnings. The findings have been riveting, revealing the critical roles of language and communication to shape policy for the citizens. The capacity of the addresses to set the socio-economic and political agenda and rally the citizens around the ideological imperatives of the elected government in a multiparty democracy has been of value to the study.