“Democracy is not good for Africa”: A common misconception that needs addressing

By Fidel Amakye Owusu

At an international conference last year, I heard the foreign ministers of Mali and Burkina Faso echo this sentiment in their presentations.

Perhaps, understanding more than many of their listeners, they were being rhetorical.

Many have tried to explain under my posts why democracy might not be suitable for Africa. While some dismiss it entirely, others offer detailed objections, primarily targeting what they call “Western democracy.”

Today, many youths are inclined to use these arguments in discussions about African political systems.

But why is this the case?

Firstly, “Western democracy” is a vague term. No two political systems in the “West” are identical. Are we referring to the federal-presidential system with an electoral college in the United States, or the federal parliamentary system in Germany?

The neo-presidential unitary system of France differs from the unitary-parliamentary system of the United Kingdom. The variations are endless.

Most importantly, democratic principles such as human rights, consensus-building, and limited powers are not unique to the West. Absolutism, prevalent in modern European history, was rare in Africa.

No Akan king (from modern-day Ghana) could claim, like Louis XIV, “l’Etat c’est moi” (“I am the state”). Akan culture has long been based on consensus for the selection, installation, and ruling of leaders, avoiding absolute power. Many African societies have historically had internal checks and balances governing the exercise of power.

Then came colonialism and the arbitrary partitioning of the continent in the late 19th century, which forced different cultures and systems together. In Ghana, the Akan, Ewe, Mole-Dagbani, and other groups found themselves within one political unit. Similarly, the Kikuyu, Luo, and others were grouped into Kenya.

This raises questions: How do these unique African cultures within a shared political space regulate leadership and political discourse? Should it be one individual, usually from a specific group, ruling without limitations and passing power to their offspring? Or should each nation break away to form its own state? That would be chaotic.

The only rational answer is a system that includes everyone. A system where every person can aspire to lead and has the right to choose their leader. One where no single nation monopolizes power.

That’s a democratic system. In adopting democracy, a country must recognize its own uniqueness.

There is much more to discuss…

Fidel Amakye Owusu is an International Relations and Security Analyst. He is an Associate at the Conflict Research Consortium for Africa and has previously hosted an International Affairs program with the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC). He is passionate about Diplomacy and realizing Africa’s global potential and how the continent should be viewed as part of the global collective.