African Democracy Facing Severe Headwinds – Gyimah-Boadi2 min read

Afrobarometer board chair Professor Gyimah-Boadi has raised concerns over the continent’s democratic governance saying it is facing severe headwinds, particularly at the level of supply.

Speaking at a conference in Accra organised by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Gyimah-Boadi shed light on the aspirations of African citizens as well as challenges and their implications for democratic governance on the continent.

Sharing insights from the latest Afrobarometer data, he noted that a majority of Africans prefer democracy over any other system of government.

However, while the desire to live under governments that are democratic and accountable remains fairly strong among Africans, some worrying trends have emerged as popular subscription to democratic norms and institutions has waned in several countries.

“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 said.

He also highlighted a softening stance toward the role of the military in national politics.

“While a solid majority still reject military rule, the level of opposition has declined significantly over the past decade with tolerance for military intervention higher among young people (56% of those aged 18-36 years) than among older citizens (46% of those aged 56 years and above),” he said. “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 disparity between citizen aspirations and the supply of democratic governance, Gyimah-Boadi stressed that levels of satisfaction with the functioning of democracy have declined drastically in many countries.

“The wind of democratic decline appears to be gathering momentum across Africa,” he warned. “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 prioritise democratic values, strengthen institutions, and meet the expectations of their people.”