African Governance Report urges fair political representativeness to deepen democracy in Africa

Good management of diversity and fair political representativeness remain crucial to the successful holding of elections and the deepening of democracy on the African continent, says the 3rd edition of the African Governance Report (AGR III), which was launched in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia  yesterday.

“In about 35 out of the 40 countries covered by the Report, the trend of experts’ opinions favors proportional representation,” highlighted Adam Elhiraika, Director of the Macroeconomic Policy Division at the Economic Commission for Africa. “This is the first major finding of the Report and is quite a significant one as it clearly points to the importance ofinclusiveness as an ingredient for strong democracies in African societies.”

Among the other important findings of the Report is the importance for African countries to embark on electoral, constitutional and political reforms; making electoral management boards more independent and competent while improving the diversity within them; and allowing for fair funding of electoral campaigns.

Brian Kagoro, UNDP’s Regional Program Advisor, Governance & Public Administration, underlined the relevance of the Reports policy recommendations, adding that their adoption and implementation by African countries would go a long way in helping them address crucial political issues. “In light of recent political developments across the continent, this Report is all the more relevant as the policy recommendations it contains address the issues of diversity, fear of exclusion and promotion of social cohesion.”

The Report is in its third edition and follows on from two former editions released respectively in 2005 and 2009. The current version of the Report differs from previous versions in that it is the first to adopt a thematic approach.