Ezekwesili calls for stronger governance reforms to bolster democracy across Africa

Oby Ezekwesili, a former minister of Education, has called for laws and initiatives to support democracy in Africa.

Ezekwesili made the call at a three-day African Conference hosted in Abuja by the School of Politics, Policy, and Governance (SPPG).

The School of Politics, Policy, and Governance is an unconventional school designed to attract, develop and produce a new generation of political leaders who will listen and serve the new class of citizens who know their rights.

She emphasised that a transparent political system with capable leaders who can address the social and economic issues facing the continent was necessary for democracy to flourish.

Speaking at the conference, with the theme ‘Good Governance In Africa: Leaders and Citizens Driving Systemic Change,’ she said the forum was put in place to groom young leaders from 20 African countries with the right mindset to improve the standard of governance.

Ezekwesili said: “What we are doing is correcting not just the supply side by having a school that raises a new generation of politicians that will govern for the public good for the collective good of the society and not for their personal interest.

“We are in fact also focused on the political literacy that is given to the demand side so that they understand their influence to determine the quality of governance.”

She called on African politicians to focus on the overall development of the African continent in their decision-making, adding that: “When governance whether at the local level, state or national level in your countries, you don’t govern for the population that you immediately see, you govern for Africa. We want you to immediately have that mindset of the African solution that will be exponential in impact as well as interconnected.

“Academic research findings show clearly that Africa’s development challenge is primarily because of the absence of good governance, and if research gives you evidence of what your malady is or the cause of your malady, what you must do as a sensible group of people is to address your malady.

“So, since poor governance is our malady as a people, as a continent, the research that I did then gives me an insight into how to address the malady. And the critical part of it is to begin the development of an entirely new political mindset and culture.”