Live Show: Resisting Democratic Decline in West Africa

To be sure, the Economic Community of West African States, or ECOWAS, has been one of the most democratic regional groupings in all of Africa. According to Freedom House, no region in Africa has made more democratic progress over the last quarter century. I personally recall hopes in the region being especially high as recently as 2017, when solidarity, backed up by the threat of military intervention, helped to force out The Gambia’s then long-ruling dictator, Yahya Jammeh, after he had lost an historic election.   

Recently, however, a growing number of West African states have faltered, suffering major democratic declines and worrying trends. This includes presidents in Ivory Coast and Guinea securing controversial third terms in office after forcing through constitutional changes. Long an authoritarian outlier in the region, the Gnassingbe dynasty in Togo has further entrenched its military rule, barely eliciting an outside response, which has perhaps provided a blueprint to other would-be autocrats. In Nigeria – where just five years ago, President Buhari won as an opposition candidate and inspired some cautious optimism worldwide – police brutality and killings, in addition to government corruption and misrule, has triggered massive, ongoing protests. And the recent military intervention in Mali has raised new and credible fears of a return to the era of coups, counter coups and regional instability. 

Today’s program will examine why democracy is facing these and similar setbacks across the region. Just as importantly, we will look at the ways in which civil society, human rights defenders and opposition political parties are fighting back against these encroachments. We will also look to Ghana, still a democratic beacon for the continent, for lessons about how to strengthen democracy, and to look ahead as the country gears up for general elections next month.