How has Democracy Fared in Africa as Search for an Alternative Intensifies

The gross political underperformance going on across different sectors in Africa has put a huge question mark on the viability of democracy in Africa. Over the decades, especially after countries gained independence in Africa, democracy became the most popular system of governance that colonial masters introduced, from there, they passed it on to the newly gained independent countries. More than half a century now, the survivability of this system is on a thin line, as how suitable and effective it is to course of African people through governance, in provision of quality leadership, and now the drums are beating harder than ever as search for alternatives intensifies.

African people seem to be fed up with democracy, as the system tilt towards bad leadership in Africa, and gives room for widespread of corruption, and has shown no progress over the decades, rather decline in human capital, mismanagement of economic resources, grown terrorism and no respecter of human lives. It has become so unclear to the point that young Africans have resort to seek greener pastures in foreign land in the most unfavourable conditions.

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The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has revealed that African diaspora remittances reached a staggering $52.9 billion in 2024, with Nigeria accounting for 38% of the total remittances in Africa, and this amount is bigger than Nigeria’s budget of 2025 which is about 49 trillion naira of Africa’s most populous country, while the $52 billion conversation to naira is about 83 trillion naira. Now the voice has grown bigger, the voice of change, the voice of revolution and the voice of shift away from democracy. Another question would be why democracy? Does it all has everything to do with democracy alone?

The leader of Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Traore, has done something that resonates with young Africans, they are thinking alike and moving in the same lane, and over a year now Burkina Faso has become a point of reference as a country where future of Africa will kick-start due to Ibrahim Traore understanding of his people. This country has been under military rule but has fared better more than those under democracy, this can be where the rage on democracy starts. Without no practical system of government recognised under Traore, people who align with his policies termed it ‘revolution’, and this revolution has continued to reel its head out across African countries. Pan-African ideas and policies, and Africa dreams are at epicentre of Traore’s drive.

Africans care less about any system of governance, due to prolong suffering they have endured under the acclaimed best practiced system of government. Young Africans want to have a system that works for them, align with their future and provide a safe and progressive African society. While democracy should not take the blame alone, followership in Africa has become where the money face, Africans have failed in electing credible leaders that will take Africa to the next level, the reawakening should be termed ‘revolution’ rather than a war against democracy, this is because this system has fared perfectly in many countries and has formed the bedrock of their political institutions.