The euphoria that surrounded Africa’s democracy in the 1990s is no more — Prof Agyeman-Duah

The euphoric phase that accompanied Africa's shift towards embracing democracy starting in the early 1990s has worn off after three decades, according to a governance expert.

Professor Baffour Agyeman-Duah, a former Senior Governance Advisor at the United Nations, says while democratic principles remain desirable, the reality on the ground shows the practice of democracy in many African countries is facing serious difficulties.

In an interview with Accra-based Joy News on Monday, July 1, Prof. Agyeman-Duah noted "We were euphoric about the democratic changes that began in the early 90s, not just in Ghana but across the continent."

However, he said the past 30 years have revealed significant challenges that must be addressed as a matter of urgency to reinvigorate Africa's democracies.

Some of the challenges he cited include leadership that is disconnected from citizens' needs as well as a failure to focus on critical development issues.

“You have leadership that is insensitive to the people's needs; to certain critical development element that we need to address and you are not getting attention," Prof Agyeman-Duah stated.

He further observed that "in the early 90s, we feared the military would be the main threat to democracy. Today, it is our political practices that pose the greatest risk."

The practice of democracy itself has become problematic in some countries, threatening the gains made so far, noted the expert.

To remedy the situation, Prof. Agyeman-Duah called for democratic processes on the continent to be "rethought" and for "new energy and vigour" to be injected into political systems.