The West African Elders Forum, WAEF, has urged African leaders to respect constitutions and put citizens' welfare, peace, and security at the centre of governance.

The Communications Officer of Goodluck Jonathan Foundation, Wealth Ominabo, in a statement, said the forum gave the advice during a webinar, themed "Making meaning of democratic reversals in West Africa."

Eight countries in West and Central Africa have witnessed coups in three years, with Gabon being the most recent.

The forum examined the challenges to democratic governance in the region and how best to advance democracy amid the growing trend of coups.

The forum urged governments, regional and sub-regional bodies to invest more in citizen-centric initiatives that would help serve as a buffer against threats to democracy.

WAEF also called for strengthening of democratic frameworks in countries to ensure accountability and guarantee free and credible elections, addig that democratic decline in the region due to poor state of governance, had led to frustration and a trust deficit between citizens and governments.

It called for the rethinking of democracy on the continent to address citizens' contemporary realities.

Contributing to the discussion, Fatoumata Tambajang, former vice-president of the Gambia, attributed democratic reversal in the region to political leaders' disregard for normative values of democracy and inability to deliver on their political promises.

Tambajang said: "It is time to rethink democracy within our context. First of all, what are the factors leading to democratic decline?

"The context in the Sahel is complex because we have civil leaders who are not ready to respect the constitutions and civil institutions. They are also not ready to deliver on their democratic promises."