The National Democratic Institute's (NDI) Regional Director for Central and West Africa, Dr. Chris Fomunyoh, has called on African leaders to build solidarity to foster peace and security.
He believes that when democracy is challenged in one region, it affects the others and such heads of state should unite and build unity to promote the rule of law and peace.
"We need to show a lot of solidarity. When democracy is challenged in one country, especially given the fact that our countries are interconnected, the borders are inferior. If there is a problem in Sierra Leone or Guinea and the democratic leaders in Liberia don't speak up, maybe those problems can overflow across the border into your own country," Dr. Fomunyoh added.
In his role as the Senior Associate for Africa, Dr. Fomunyoh has organized and advised international election observation missions to Benin, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.
He has also designed and supervised country-specific democracy support programs with civic organizations, political parties and legislative bodies in Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Liberia, Mali, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal and Togo.
According to him, the wave of coups and military instability in the Sahel can be mitigated if African leaders come together in unity.
"I think African democratic nations across the nation need to show more solidarity regarding and protecting the democratic space. I think it can because the coup leaders will realize that they are being isolated."
"They will realize that they will not be accepted in Africa. This will also empower the citizens in the country to realize that they are not alone to know that their neighbors or other African countries also sympathize with their cause and provide their support to make sure that democracy can be restored."
Dr. Fomunyoh recently concluded a weeklong visit to Liberia. He held meetings with President Joseph Boakai, ministers and other international organizations. Key on the agenda was democracy, the rule of law, and Liberia's progress in fostering peace in the region.
"We have to build consensus because the way the rest of the world sees the continent [of Africa] is such that, when one country is doing poorly, it impacts the image of the whole continent, even in the eyes of private investors. It affects how our country can see the financing of public projects because then they are considered high-risk and unstable. Because even if a specific country is stable, as long as its neighbor is unstable that also tarnishes its image," he noted.
Dr. Fomunyoh added that Liberia is making gains in a sub-region where democratic progress is slow, if not outrightly receding. Yet, Liberia continues to be an example for its neighbor.
He added that for the last decades, Liberia has exhibited and continues to display a commitment to voting in democratic elections, a model that other countries in the sub-region need to copy.
"So I look at all of that and I say Liberia has accomplished a lot. But we all know also that democracy is a never-ending endeavor. You have to work on it every day. You have to work to perfect it, to improve it, to improve the positive impact that democratic governance can have on the lives of citizens."
Dr. Fomunyoh, who joined NDI in 1993, recalled his contributions to promoting peace and democracy in Africa. He said, "I feel blessed to see that in several African countries, the positive transitions that have taken place have happened with NDI's contribution."
"And when the stories of some of the countries are written, I can at least see my fingerprint on some of the things I have contributed to democratic governance. I have seen the continent during its most difficult moments. I have seen it at its most hopeful moments."
Commenting on women's political participation and advancement, he said: "At NDI we consider women empowerment. Women's involvement in politics is a cross theme that must be embedded with each one of our programs. In engaging with our partners, we always emphasize that equal opportunity has to be created for women and young girls interested in politics to gain the skills to have the opportunity to serve their people as well."
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Given his vast experience in working on democracy in Africa and other parts of the world, Dr. Fomunyoh said misinformation and disinformation are harming democracy in Africa.
"The fact [is] that Africa is a young continent and in many countries the youth population is very high and they are very exposed to social media. Various access to the information we have seen in the ecosystem about the debate about democracy sometimes is rated with fake news; a lot of propaganda with governance, a lot of disinformation about what democracy is and what is not."
"The second challenge is screening the political space -- the fact that sometimes even leaders who come to power through the ballot box, through an elected process, when they are in power either they under-perform and so citizens lose confidence in democracy or some of them, unfortunately, have even dismantled the mechanism that brought them to power. That's why, when you talk to young Africans, they are very frustrated with presidents who change constitutions to elongate their time."
