Amidst growing political instability across Africa, the debate over democracy and conflict management has once again taken centre stage. From electoral disputes in Nigeria to military coups in West Africa, ethnic conflicts in the Horn, and governance crises across the continent, Africa continues to wrestle with the dual challenge of entrenching democratic culture while preventing violent conflict.
Speaking on Beyond the Headlines, a programme of Freedom Square TV on Wednesday, Dr. Agada Elachi, SAN, FICMC, FCIArb,renowned legal luminary and peacebuilding advocate offered a candid assessment of the continent’s democratic experiment. He argued that democracy, in its present form, remains alien to Africans, having been imposed rather than indigenously nurtured. Consequently, electoral processes, though framed in democratic structures, rarely yield results that inspire confidence or promote true nationhood.
While military takeovers have resurged across West Africa in recent years, Dr. Elachi attributed this setback to weak institutions, poor leadership, corruption, and lack of ideological grounding. For him, political elites behave irresponsibly, thereby deepening public disillusionment and creating fertile ground for coups. Echoing Barack Obama’s famous remark, he stressed that Africa needs strong institutions not strong men.
On the question of conflict, often manipulated along ethnic and religious lines, he insisted that the real drivers are political. Politicians, he said, exploit differences to entrench power, fueling avoidable crises. To address this, he recommended peace education, preventive strategies to foster inclusivity, and the revival of history education,so Africans can better understand their shared past and collective future.
Although legal frameworks exist to settle electoral disputes, Dr. Elachi lamented that enforcement remains the Achilles’ heel. Laws, he explained, are routinely disregarded with impunity because institutions lack the courage to punish offenders. Until this gap is bridged, political and electoral conflicts will remain intractable.
Drawing on his vast experience as a mediator, he described mediation as far more effective than military interventions, which merely suspend crises rather than resolve them. Dialogue, he affirmed, creates space for sincerity, relationship-building, and practical settlements, unlike court judgments that often lack enforceability.
Turning to regional efforts, particularly ECOWAS, he acknowledged the body’s strides in preventive diplomacy but warned that insincerity among member states undermines its effectiveness. Citizens, he urged, must demand accountability from both their leaders and regional institutions.
On Africanizing democracy, Dr. Elachi proposed a model rooted in Africa’s communal and parliamentary traditions, involving traditional rulers and councils of elders. Rejecting military-civilian hybrid governance, he instead called for leadership that blends indigenous ethics with modern democratic principles. Above all, he urged leaders to think of the future, prioritize accountability, and invest in human capital, noting that Africa’s intellectual resources remain unparalleled globally.
Finally, reflecting on global conflicts such as Russia–Ukraine and Israel–Gaza, he identified insincerity and excessive media posturing as obstacles to peace. He called for backdoor diplomacy and genuine compromise, insisting that without sincerity of purpose, mediation will remain elusive.
In his words, “Leaders must think of tomorrow, uphold accountability, and invest in people. Without sincerity and the courage to act, both democracy and peace will remain elusive.”