THE CRISIS OF CHARACTER IN AFRICAN POLITICS 

Africa need leaders who understand that public office is a burden of service, not a platform for self-glorification, writes LINUS OKORIE

The continent is not short on talent. It is not short on ambition. It is certainly not short on leaders who can move crowds and deliver powerful speeches. Yet, across many African nations, we continue to witness an unsettling pattern—leaders who win elections but fail to lead with integrity. This is not just a leadership problem. It is a character crisis. And it is eating away at the heart of our political systems.

Let us call it what it is. Africa’s politics is full of individuals with charm, charisma, and confidence, but often lacking the one thing that keeps power in check: character. That deep moral center that tells a leader when to say no, when to admit failure, when to put the people ahead of personal gain.

Now, this is not some philosophical lament about morals for the sake of sounding righteous. The absence of character in leadership has real consequences. Leaders are embezzling public funds with little or no consequences. Jobs lost to favoritism. These cascades into having our children out of school, hospitals without medicine, and nations slipping into chaos. We are living the effects of it every day.

Let us take a step back. What happens when a leader lacks character? They become unpredictable and even, dangerous. A leader without character has no internal compass. They are not bound by truth, justice, or fairness. They are driven by whatever benefits them in the moment. Money. Power. Influence. Applause.

This is why you see leaders who promise reforms during campaigns only to abandon them the moment they get into office. It is why stolen funds are rerouted through foreign accounts while citizens scrape to survive. It is how constitutions are twisted to extend terms and entrench control.

In 2017, the Ibrahim Index of African Governance showed that while some countries had made progress in economic opportunity and infrastructure, their overall governance scores remained fragile due to declines in accountability and transparency. In plain terms, our leaders are busy building roads but also destroying citizens’ trust.

In many African societies, respect for elders and authority is deeply ingrained. This is a good thing. It builds order. But when that respect turns into silence in the face of wrongdoing, it becomes complicity. It creates a political environment where questioning a leader is seen as disloyalty instead of accountability.

We have seen it in parliaments where lawmakers refuse to speak against party leaders. We have seen it in communities where traditional rulers protect politicians from criticism because they come from the same tribe. We have seen it in religious circles where their leaders endorse or bless politicians whose actions betray every principle of faith. When people stop speaking, corruption grows louder. And the price is high.

Every time a politician lies and gets away with it, a teenager learns that truth does not matter. Every time a corrupt official is given a national award or reappointed to office; a young graduate learns that integrity is optional. Every time we justify unethical behavior with “at least he built a bridge,” we tell the next generation that character is negotiable.

We are shaping a generation of future leaders who believe that winning is more important than being right. That survival is better than service. That image beats integrity. This is how broken systems replicate themselves.

We should not be surprised when young people grow cynical about politics. When they believe every leader is a liar. When they say, “what is the point?” If all they have seen is dishonesty rewarded and truth punished, they will choose the easier path too.

Yes, we need leadership development programs. Yes, we need schools that teach civic engagement. Yes, we need better institutions. But none of those things will matter if we do not put character back at the center of political leadership. We have been obsessed with creating pipelines for future leaders. Good. But what is the point of building a system that produces brilliant minds with broken values?

A young politician who learns to write a great policy memo but cannot resist the temptation to rig an election is not a leader. He is just a smarter manipulator. A public servant who understands procurement processes but sees nothing wrong with inflating contracts is not serving the people. She is skillfully serving herself.

We need to start treating character as a national development issue. Not just as a moral talking point but as a measurable part of our governance frameworks.

The solution is not magical. It simply involves citizens demanding better, from politicians and themselves. It starts with political parties that screen candidates for more than just popularity and tribal loyalty. It starts with civil society refusing to normalize corruption in the name of “it is our turn to eat.” It starts with voters who choose integrity even when it is unpopular.

There are examples across the continent worth learning from. In Botswana, the culture of public accountability has helped maintain a more transparent political environment. In Ghana, peaceful transitions of power have started to shift the political tone toward more responsible governance even when it remains imperfect. Rwanda’s focus on national interest over personal gain has come with its own tradeoffs, but it shows that discipline in leadership is possible when values are taken seriously.

We need to grow that mindset. We need leaders who understand that public office is a burden of service, not a platform for self-glorification. We need institutions designed to withstand the failings of individuals, because individuals will always be flawed.

Most of all, we need to raise the bar for what we celebrate. We must stop praising leaders for doing the bare minimum. A president who pays salaries on time is not a hero. A governor who does not steal is not doing us a favor. These should be the floor, not the ceiling.

The character crisis will not end with one election cycle. It will not end with one charismatic reformer. It ends when we start to care more about who a leader is when no one is watching than what they say when everyone is listening. It starts when character becomes a qualification.

If you are in a position to mentor, speak, influence, or vote, ask better questions. Do not just ask about plans and policies. Ask about values. Ask what guides them when the cameras are off. Ask how they treat people who cannot offer them anything. Ask how they have handled power before.

And if you are thinking of running for office someday, start building that foundation now. Not when the spotlight is on, but when no one knows your name. That is where real leadership is born; in private choices made with quiet conviction long before public applause ever arrives.

The continent has enough smart people. It has enough powerful voices. What it needs now is more leaders whose character can carry the weight of the office they seek. Not just heads of state. But heads with heart and spines made of truth. That is how we fix this. One honest leader at a time.

 Okorie MFR is a leadership development expert spanning 30 years in the research, teaching and coaching of leadership in Africa and across the world. He is the CEO of the GOTNI Leadership Centre.