POLICYMAKERS, lecturers, and civil society leaders have issued an pressing name for African governments to pursue deep democratic reforms to make sure financial justice and restore public belief.
They argued that whereas democracy stays common throughout the continent, its failure to ship tangible financial alternatives has fuelled widespread frustration, notably amongst a youth inhabitants that feels marginalised and excluded from growth advantages.
The decision to motion was made on Monday, September 15, 2025, on the College of Ghana, Legon, through the launch of a landmark examine titled: ‘Evaluation of the Nexus Between Democratic Governance and Financial Justice in Africa’.
The occasion, organised by the Open Society Foundations (OSF) in partnership with the IDEAS-Africa Community LBG (IDAN), coincided with the Worldwide Day of Democracy.
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Professor Henry Kwesi Prempeh, Government Director of the Ghana Centre for Democratic Improvement (CDD-Ghana) and Chair of the Ghana Constitutional Overview Committee, who delivered the important thing notice deal with, acknowledged that post-Nineties reforms have targeted too narrowly on elections, ignoring crucial problems with energy, accountability, and financial governance.
“Democracy in Africa will not be failing as a result of folks reject it. Afrobarometer knowledge exhibits robust assist for democracy, at the same time as dissatisfaction with its outcomes grows. The issue will not be demand; it’s provide. We have now but to construct a democracy that actually meets folks’s wants,” Prof. Prempeh famous.
He criticised the continent’s reliance on imported democratic fashions from the West as a substitute of creating homegrown techniques that mirror African realities. He recognized unregulated marketing campaign financing as a crucial flaw, proposing concrete reforms like capping billboard sizes, setting clear marketing campaign intervals, and regulating rallies to slash exorbitant election prices.
“We can’t imitate international locations with stronger administrative capacities. We should design democratic options that work for us,” he burdened.
Dr Ndongo Samba Sylla offered the analysis report, describing Africa’s democracies as “choiceless,” hemmed in by neoliberal insurance policies and lack of financial independence that stop governments from pursuing transformative growth agendas.
This, he defined, perpetuates inequality, unemployment, and youth disillusionment.
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Dr Chukwuemeka Eze of Open Society underscored the centrality of the findings of the report at a time when younger folks all world wide are pushing for democracy that delivers dignity to the folks, noting that Democratic Futures in Africa programme of Open Society Foundations goals to determine inclusive, socially cohesive, rights-based and simply African democracies rooted in Ubuntu principles– shared humanity.
Panelists, together with Dr Liliane Umubyeyi, African Futures Lab and Dr Amzat Boukari-Yabara, Historian, detailed how neocolonial structures–like overseas management over currencies and resources– proceed to undermine financial sovereignty.
They referred to as for decentralising energy, enhancing citizen participation, and dismantling exploitative financial techniques that block inclusive progress.
The examine’s daring suggestions embrace common entry to monetary and identification techniques, elevated management over pure sources, institutionalised citizen engagement in policymaking, and assured entry to important companies.
Stakeholders concluded that solely a democracy able to delivering actual financial alternative and social dignity can meet the aspirations of African residents.
