… The three-day conference was organised by the Community of Practice on Money in Politics in Africa, in collaboration with the Open Society Foundations, the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Transparency International and the African Union Advisory Board Against …
… resident John Dramani Mahama, the Government, Parliament, the Ministry of the Interior, the Judiciary, CHRAJ, CDD-Ghana, the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, Crime Check Foundation, the Legal Resources Centre and development partners including OSIWA, Open Society Foundations …
… It is precisely this gap that the Open Society Foundations have sought to address by promoting democratic governance, human rights, accountable institutions, and the meaningful participation of marginalised voices in decision-making processes. …
African policymakers, anti-corruption agencies, and civil society organisations have adopted the Accra Declaration on Regulating Financing of Politics to Advance Democratic Integrity in Africa, calling for coordinated continental action to strengthen transparency, accountability and integrity in political financing. The declaration, adopted at a three-day conference in Accra held from July 14 to 16, warns that growing influence of money in politics is threatening democratic governance and eroding public confidence in institutions.
African policymakers, anti-corruption agencies, and civil society organisations have adopted the Accra Declaration on Regulating Financing of Politics to Advance Democratic Integrity in Africa, calling for coordinated continental action to strengthen transparency, accountability and integrity in political financing. The declaration, adopted at a three-day conference in Accra held from July 14 to 16, warns that growing influence of money in politics is threatening democratic governance and eroding public confidence in institutions.
The POS Foundation has welcomed Parliament's passage of the Community Service Bill, 2026, which will allow courts to impose community service orders instead of custodial sentences for eligible offenders convicted of offences punishable by prison terms of less than three years. The Foundation says the law will reduce prison overcrowding, facilitate offender rehabilitation and reintegration, and strengthen restorative justice.
Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, Second Vice-President of the Pan-African Parliament, has urged African governments to invest in economic empowerment of citizens alongside political financing reforms, arguing that poverty drives money politics and that legal frameworks alone cannot safeguard democratic governance.
The Chairperson of the African Union Advisory Board Against Corruption has identified opaque political party financing as a major enabler of corruption, illicit financial flows, and state capture in Africa, urging governments to enact and enforce laws regulating political funding to ensure elections reflect the will of citizens rather than hidden financiers' interests.
Ghana has called for urgent reforms to political financing across Africa, warning that growing money influence is undermining democratic integrity, excluding capable leaders, and weakening public trust in institutions. Deputy Minister Thomas Nyarko Ampem told attendees at a regional convening in Accra that rising campaign costs are preventing competent citizens, women, and young people from participating in politics.
An opinion piece argues that the G7, representing a small fraction of the world's population, exerts disproportionate influence over global finance, trade, technology standards, security, and development despite globalization being presented as a grand equalizer that would disperse power beyond traditional centres.
As ECOWAS prepares for a leadership change in July 2026, the regional bloc confronts its greatest test since 1975, with Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger having withdrawn and democratic governance across West Africa coming under pressure from military coups and constitutional upheaval.
As ECOWAS prepares for a leadership transition in July 2026, the Economic Community of West African States confronts its greatest test since 1975, with Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger having departed and democratic governance under pressure across the region.
Many African countries hold elections and adopt constitutions, but lack genuine legitimacy rooted in social contracts with their citizens, raising questions about whether they are true democratic states or merely territorial administrations. The distinction between "African states" shaped by legitimacy and shared identity versus "states in Africa" as colonial constructions is central to the continent's democratic future.
Recurring xenophobic attacks against African migrants in South Africa undermine continental solidarity and Pan-Africanism, with Ghana formally petitioning the African Union to address the issue at its Mid-Year Coordination Meeting as a matter of urgent continental interest. Nigeria's Senate has also demanded accountability following attacks and reported deaths of Nigerian nationals.