Africa’s Democracy is in Crisis: #FixPolitics Africa Conference 2025 Offers a Chance to Reset

Folalumi Alaran in Abuja

The warning signs are everywhere. In the last five years alone, Africa has witnessed eight military coups, disputed elections, corruption scandals, and an erosion of public trust in democratic institutions. Citizens are growing weary of leaders who promise development but deliver poverty and despair.

Consider Nigeria, where over 129 million people, 56% of the population, live in poverty while government revenues are swallowed by debt servicing. In Kenya, peaceful protesters calling for reform have been met with deadly force. In Sudan, conflict between civilians and the military has spiralled into a humanitarian disaster. Across the continent, insecurity, economic hardship, and governance failures are feeding disillusionment with democracy itself.

Yet, paradoxically, surveys such as Afrobarometer (2024) reveal that most Africans, 66%, still prefer democracy over any other system of government. The contradiction is stark: Africans believe in democracy in principle, but they no longer trust it in practice.

This is the backdrop against which FixPolitics will host the Africa Conference 2025 at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, on Thursday 2 and Friday 3 October 2025, under the theme “Democracy in Crisis: Exploring New Pathways to Governance and Development in Africa.” The gathering is expected to convene reform-minded leaders, citizen activists, policymakers, and civil society organisations from across the continent, with discussions broadcast on Arise News and streamed globally.

At its heart, the conference is not about lamenting what is broken. It is about reimagining what democracy in Africa could and should be. As Dr. Obiageli “Oby” Ezekwesili, Founder of the School of Politics, Policy and Governance (SPPG) and Chair of FixPolitics, has said: “Democracy in Africa is under siege, but this moment presents a historic opportunity. Africa must reimagine governance, not by copying imported models, but by creating homegrown systems that are legitimate, accountable, and centred on citizens.”

The agenda reflects this ambition. From thematic labs on fighting state capture, protecting democracy activists, safeguarding election integrity, and advancing rights-based governance, to a Citizens’ Walk symbolising solidarity, the focus is on turning ideas into commitments and commitments into action. By the end of the conference, participants are expected to issue a Citizens’ Charter on Democracy and Development, a practical blueprint for reclaiming Africa’s democratic trajectory.

The symbolism of holding this conference in Nigeria is not lost. Nigeria, Africa’s largest democracy, embodies both the promise and the peril of the continent’s political journey. If Nigeria can fix its politics by closing the gap between leaders and citizens, and between votes and development outcomes, it can inspire a continental reset.

Africa’s democracy is in crisis, but crises also create opportunities. The Abuja conference is not just another dialogue. It is a chance to reset, to challenge the failures of the past, and to forge a future where governance works for the people. The question is whether leaders and citizens alike will seize this moment or squander it.