Former Nigerian Vice President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has warned that declining public trust in democratic institutions is putting democracy under increasing pressure across Africa.
He urged African governments to strengthen accountability, uphold constitutional rule and ensure that democratic governance delivers tangible benefits to citizens.
Osinbajo gave the warning while delivering the keynote address at Good Governance Africa’s (GGA) annual lecture in Accra, Ghana, on October 22.
The lecture was themed “Democracy Under Pressure: Rebuilding Trust, Accountability, and Institutional Integrity in Africa’s New Political Era.”
According to a report by The Guardian, the former vice-president cited findings from Afrobarometer’s 2024 flagship report, based on surveys conducted across 39 African countries between 2021 and 2023.
The report showed that although 66 per cent of respondents preferred democracy to other forms of government, only 37 per cent were satisfied with how democracy was working in their countries.
Osinbajo also disclosed that 53 per cent of respondents were prepared to tolerate a military takeover if elected leaders abused power for their personal interests.
He said the findings exposed a growing gap between citizens’ support for democracy and their experiences under elected governments.
“Democracy in Africa is clearly under pressure,” he said, identifying military interventions and declining public confidence in governments and institutions responsible for protecting citizens’ rights as major concerns.
The former vice-president disclosed that Africa experienced 11 successful coups in nine countries between 2020 and 2025.
While acknowledging that the circumstances surrounding the takeovers differed, he said their cumulative effect was to weaken the principle that political authority should be acquired and exercised through constitutional processes.
He, however, cautioned against viewing Africa’s democratic challenges solely through military takeovers.
According to him, elected leaders could also undermine constitutional government by manipulating political rules and restricting opportunities for genuine political change.
Osinbajo stressed that dissatisfaction with elected governments should not automatically be interpreted as a rejection of democracy.
Citing a 2023 United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) survey involving 8,000 African citizens, he said only 11 per cent of respondents in countries that had experienced unconstitutional changes of government preferred non-democratic forms of government.
He argued that governments must address the governance failures fuelling public frustration while strengthening institutions that protect citizens’ rights and hold public officials accountable.
Accountability, public services key to rebuilding trust
The lecture also examined the relationship between institutional integrity, accountability and Africa’s development prospects.
Robert Rose, founder and outgoing global chairman of GGA, said the organisation was established more than a decade ago to promote independent research, policy analysis and engagement with policymakers, civil society, businesses, communities and the media.
He said Africa’s development could not be separated from the quality of its governance.
Rose identified the gap between the existence of laws and oversight institutions and the actual enforcement of accountability as a persistent challenge.
He argued that corruption must attract consequences and public resources must be used for their intended purposes.
Rose also highlighted GGA’s involvement in the campaign for an International Anti-Corruption Court, a proposed international mechanism designed to address grand corruption where national authorities are unable or unwilling to hold perpetrators accountable.
He explained that the proposed court would complement national justice systems rather than replace them.
Rose estimated that corruption costs the world US$2.6 trillion annually, highlighting its implications for public resources and development.
He further argued that effective governance was essential to attracting investment, noting that businesses needed predictable rules, enforceable contracts and institutions capable of ensuring fairness.
GGA chief identifies conditions for restoring public trust
In his closing remarks, GGA’s Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Deji Haastrup, said rebuilding public trust required institutions to demonstrate integrity through their actions rather than rely on their formal existence.
“Trust cannot be demanded. It must be earned,” Haastrup said.
He explained that public confidence grew when citizens saw government resources being used for the public good, institutions responding to their needs, corruption attracting consequences and courts operating independently.
He also identified meaningful legislative oversight, press freedom, space for civil society and equal application of the law as essential elements of accountable governance.
Haastrup said many African countries had constitutions, anti-corruption agencies, courts, parliaments and auditors-general, but citizens continued to experience a gap between the promise of accountability and its practical enforcement.
He maintained that governance must translate into tangible improvements in people’s lives, including access to functional schools and healthcare, opportunities for young people to build their futures at home and an environment where entrepreneurs could establish businesses without depending on political connections.
He said these outcomes reflected GGA’s longstanding position that governance was fundamentally a development issue.
Haastrup added that the organisation would continue to focus on democratic governance, anti-corruption, peace and security, natural resource governance, economic development, data and analytics, and youth empowerment.
GGA seeks sustained funding for governance initiatives
Haastrup also appealed to foundations, businesses, development institutions and individuals to provide sustained financial support for the organisation’s work.
He said GGA needed partners willing to invest not only in individual projects but also in the institutional capacity required to sustain its research, continental networks and responses to emerging governance challenges.
“The work we have discussed today … none of these can be sustained by conviction alone,” he said.
He called for stronger collaboration among governments, parliaments, the judiciary, businesses, civil society, the media, academia, development partners and young people.
Rose, meanwhile, said institutions must be capable of outliving their founders.
He outlined a long-term vision for GGA to establish nine regional centres across Africa over the next 10 to 15 years, while acknowledging that the ambition would require funding, partnerships and sustained leadership.
