THE future of democratic governance in Africa is at stake as supply fails to meet citizen aspirations, according to E. Gyimah-Boadi, board chair of Afrobarometer, the independent, non-partisan research network that measures public attitudes on economic, political, and social matters in Africa.
Speaking at a conference themed, African governance futures: Strengthening democratic resilience amid disruption, organised by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Gyimah-Boadi emphasised the need for urgent action to bridge the gap between citizens’ expectations and the performance of democratic institutions.
In his address titled, The future Africans want, Gyimah-Boadi shared insights from the latest Afrobarometer data, based on surveys conducted in 36 African countries between 2021 and 2022. He highlighted that while a majority of Africans continue to prefer democracy as their desired form of government, support for democratic norms and institutions has declined in several countries over the past few years.
‘Between 2014/2015 and 2021/2022, support for democracy has steeply dropped in several countries: Mali, Burkina Faso, South Africa, and Guinea, respectively by 36, 26, 21, and 15 percentage points,’ Gyimah-Boadi revealed.
Furthermore, he expressed concern over the softening stance toward military involvement in politics. Although the majority still rejects military rule, the opposition has significantly decreased in the past decade. Only three out of the 30 consistently surveyed countries showed increased rejection of military rule, and a slim majority (53 percent) indicated their willingness to consider military intervention if elected officials abuse their power. Notably, the younger generation (56 percent of those aged 18-36 years) showed a higher tolerance for military intervention compared to older citizens (46 percent of those aged 56 years and above).
Gyimah-Boadi stated, ‘Distressingly, this pro-military-intervention sentiment is a clear majority opinion in 22 out of the 36 countries surveyed, and this view is highly pronounced in Mali, Tunisia, Guinea, Tanzania, Côte d’Ivoire. Given their numerical superiority across the continent, it must be deeply concerning that younger Africans are more likely than their elders to express their readiness for military intervention – if need be.’
Highlighting the widenin
g gap between citizen aspirations and the performance of democratic governance, Gyimah-Boadi stressed the urgent need for governments to deliver accountable governance and address the concerns of their citizens.
‘The w
ind of democratic decline appears to be gathering momentum across Africa,’ Gyimah-Boadi cautioned. ‘The ability of governments to deliver democracy and accountable governance continues to lag behind the expectations of their citizens, setting the scene for confrontations between ordinary Africans and their domestic political authorities in the coming years. It is crucial for governments to prioritize democratic values, strengthen institutions, and meet the expectations of their people.’
The conference in Accra brought together over 80 governance experts from across the African continent to discuss the latest developments in the governance sector under the theme of strengthening democratic resilience amid disruption.
