from RUSSEL ADADEVOH in Accra, Ghana
Ghana Bureau
ACCRA, (CAJ News) – A POWERFUL new call for democratic renewal is reverberating across Africa after the inaugural Gaborone Democracy Lab, convened by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Botswana and Afrobarometer.
The two-day gathering, drawing leaders and thinkers from more than 20 African countries, confronts one of the continent’s most urgent questions: Can democratic institutions still deliver dignity, justice, and genuine inclusion for African citizens?
For many Africans, the question is far from abstract. Several countries continue to battle democratic backsliding, entrenched leadership, and institutions weakened by decades of patronage.
Across the continent, citizens increasingly recognise that when leaders cling to power, public institutions stop serving the people and begin serving the powerful.
This fuels corruption, widens inequality, and often forces young people into the streets in search of the accountability they can no longer find at the ballot box.
It is against this backdrop that the Gaborone Democracy Lab framed its central demand: **“Democratic institutions must deliver again.”
Participants identified three urgent pathways for building democratic systems that truly serve citizens.
First was the strengthening of local-level decision making.
As frustration grows over unresponsive central governments, decentralised governance offers a practical route for improving service delivery and restoring trust.
Community-driven decision making, they argued, is not merely administrative reform — it is a democratic necessity.
The second pathway focused on Africa’s increasingly assertive youth. From Cape Town to Nairobi, Gen Z has become a force reshaping public life through protest movements and civic action.
But energy without channels can lead to volatility. Delegates explored how Africa can create leadership pipelines and institutional pathways that move young people from street-level activism into meaningful political participation.
Without this transition, democracies risk alienating the very generation that must inherit them.
The third pathway — embedding ubuntu — sought to reclaim African identity within democratic governance.
Ubuntu’s principles of solidarity, dignity, and collective responsibility offer a culturally grounded framework for addressing inequality and rebuilding social cohesion.
In a continent fragmented by political and economic divides, ubuntu provides an ethical anchor.
Botswana’s Vice President Ndaba Gaolathe delivered one of the Lab’s most striking messages, stressing that strong democracies are built not on the charisma of leaders but on the durability of institutions.
“If democracy is to mean anything,” he said, “it must endure beyond applause… It must live in the daily experience of justice and dignity.”
His words serve as a reminder to leaders who resist transition: when power becomes personal, governance collapses.
Imposing oneself on citizens erodes legitimacy, stifles innovation, and breeds instability.
African history repeatedly shows that when leaders outstay their mandate, nations pay the price — economically, socially, and in some cases, with blood.
The Gaborone Democracy Lab distinguished itself with its experimental, cross-sector format.
Policy makers, trade unions, youth leaders, academics, civil society, and data experts shared one collaborative space — a rare model aimed at fostering creativity and consensus.
Afrobarometer’s Surveys Director Boniface Dulani highlighted a crucial insight: though trust in institutions is falling, Africans remain strongly pro-democracy and continue to demand accountability.
FES Africa head Henrik Maihack added that global cooperation will be essential in safeguarding democratic gains from rising authoritarian threats.
As Africa confronts a crossroads, the Gaborone Democracy Lab sends a clear and urgent message: the future of African democracy depends on leaders who choose service over self-preservation, institutions over personalities, and citizens over political convenience.
– CAJ News