Democracy Under Strain: West Africa Risks Sliding Back To Instability, CDD Warns
Princess-Ekwi Ajide
West Africa’s democratic journey, once seen as a hard-won victory over military rule, is showing worrying signs of fatigue.
The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD-West Africa) has raised alarm over what it describes as a creeping return to democratic decline, warning that weak governance, elite manipulation, and rising instability are threatening decades of progress.
Speaking in Abuja at the launch of the organisation’s 2026–2030 strategic plan, former Ekiti State governor Kayode Fayemi said the region is experiencing a resurgence of “democratic deficits,” despite years of constitutional rule.
Fayemi pointed to a string of coups and political crises across the region, noting that even the stabilising influence of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is being tested.
While countries like Ghana and Senegal continue to show resilience, he warned that the broader regional outlook remains fragile, urging renewed civic action and stronger institutions.
“We are not yet where we should be. The work is far from over,” he said.
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