Democracy can work in Africa, but with modifications.

Africa’s real problems manifest around the time of elections. Picture that in the last five years, there have been coups or near coups in Guinea, Mali, Central African Republic, and South Sudan. Let’s not forget the fragile situation in Northern Nigeria, where the instabilities continue to persist. So, what mus Africa do to curb these instabilities?

Many suggest that the real problem with Africa is democracy. That democracy as envisioned in the West cannot simply work in Africa. But is this really true? While Japan has managed to change governments left right and center within the last ten years, its stability and general economic prospects have not been affected much. The same could be said about Italy. These governments basically function even when the sitting

President or Prime Minister is having trouble holding onto office. The same cannot be said about African
countries. Most African countries experience instabilities during the time of elections, as different tribes literally compete for the top job. In winning the Presidency then, the various tribal factions are merely hoping that once their man is in office, then the tribal goodies will flow back to the ground. So, in a way, elections in Africa are very much personalized. Of course, both the US, EU and India also have the same problem of personalization of politics, where the Kennedy, Bush, Clintons appear to gain a significant advantage even before elections campaign have started. In India, the name of Gandhi was a direct ticket to the Prime Minister position, until last year when Narendra Modi dismantled that myth.

Even then, elections in Africa appear to be a time when clashes are mostly likely to escalate. This shows that how high stakes of a game elections are. It is also the time when the economic growth rates are most deemed, as investors adopt a wait and see approach until elections are over. Some have suggested that the rotational Presidency take route, where different regions are allowed to have a President at different times, much like the UN rotates the Secretary General position. This would be especially applicable in areas where there are many minorities. For example, in Nigeria, analysts believe that part of the reason for the instabilities is that the gentleman’s agreement between the North and the South on rotating the Presidency has been violated, as Goodluck Jonathan is set to run for a second time. The post election violence in Kenya, Zimbabwe, Ivory Coast, and the genocide in Rwanda all point to a real need to have a dialogue on which form of democracy is best fit for Africa. By safeguarding elections and democracy, this is the only way that African countries would be more stable, and in the process, attract more investors to fuel the Africa rising narrative.