The quest for good leadership

...A necessary requirement for governance and economic development in Africa

Ghana’s High Commission to the United Kingdom and Ireland, Professor Kwaku Danso-Boafo, has emphasised that the quest for good leadership is a necessary requirement for governance and economic development in Africa.

Speaking at the Pan African conference with the theme “towards a 21st century African renaissance: sowing the seed of success” at the University of Oxford in London, Prof. Danso-Boafo said scholars and multilateral institutions, such as the World Bank have all attributed Africa’s underdevelopment to bad governance and poor leadership.

This, he said has resulted in the wave of violence and insecurity, economic stagnation, coupled with the breakdown in law and order that has plagued the African continent on daily basis.

He said in their effort to democratise Africa, the Western world forgets Africa is experimenting with a political system which took them, the Western world centuries to learn to practice but are behaving as if the African continent is a laboratory without a history.

The High Commissioner noted that leadership in Africa had operated largely in illiterate societies with traditional systems fused into modern constitution-based political systems, compounded by the persistent and excessive copying of political packages from the West.

In his presentation titled “Governance, Leadership and Political Space in Africa”, Prof. Danso-Boafo emphasised that governance and leadership is crucial in Africa’s political and economic development since the two determine the rules that govern the behaviour and conduct of political actors.

The problems confronting the African continent today, Prof. Danso-Boafo noted are all attributed to the lack of good leadership and governance hence the quest for good leadership has become a necessary requirement for governance and economic development in the whole of Africa.

The good news, however is that with democracy now in large parts of Africa, a growing number of politically conscious middle class are demanding accountability from elected leaders to match their promises to economic progress with tangible results, he said.

The Ghanaian High Commissioner however acknowledged that in spite of Africa’s recent past, the future has never looked brighter for the continent with the new crop of leaders emerging all over the continent.

In the last two decades he said, Africa continues to experience tremendous political changes in its governance system with democratic politics and practice making a significant leap on the continent.

Electoral institutions, Prof. Danso-Boafo said are gradually gaining credibility with the passage of time as free and fair elections have brought opposition parties that could only dream of governing into power.

Looking back at post-colonial Africa, especially between the 1960s and early 1990s, he said Africa was confronted by as myriad of challenges including military coups, civil wars, repressive regimes refugee flows and economic stagnation.

He said the hopes that greeted the African people after independence, soon dissipated for the early renaissance of the African continent as most states either got stagnated with autocratic leaders who were only interested in prolonging their stay in power.

Many African countries now have multi-party democracy with varying degree of stability, acceptance and legitimacy he said, adding “but not Africa’s entire democratic journey is a good story to tell as countries such as Zimbabwe, Guinea, Mali, Central Africa Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia in spite of their experiment with democracy are still bedevilled with serious governance challenges.

Prof. Danso-Boafo said the democratic process in Africa are often very fragile, uneven, tenuous and remains weak in spite of the advance most African countries have made towards improved leadership and governance.

Recent developments in Kenya, following that country’s elections, the High Commissioner said are a story that must be told and presented as a shining example of how electoral disputes must be resolved and praised Ghana for also towing the same line to resolve her electoral dispute.

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Ghana High Commission

London