Accra: President John Dramani Mahama on Wednesday opened the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation’s Democracy Dialogue 2025, calling for the strengthening of democratic institutions in Africa. He emphasized that a free press serves as democracy’s immune system and highlighted the importance of regional solidarity among African nations.
According to Ghana News Agency, President Mahama stressed that democracy falters when citizens lose faith, leaders abandon integrity, and institutions fall prey to capture. He urged that democracy can be revitalized when citizens actively defend it. This year’s Dialogue, themed ‘Why Democracies Die,’ is hosted by the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation in collaboration with the Government of Ghana.
President Mahama identified several reasons why democracies fail, including weak institutions, corruption, and elite capture that erode public trust, as well as exclusion and inequality that marginalize parts of the citizenry. He also cited leadership deficits and external pressures that exploit vulnerabilities in democratic systems. He advocated for strengthening institutions, independent courts, parliaments, and electoral bodies to renew democracy.
He further noted that democracy without development is at risk and emphasized the need for African leaders to deliver infrastructure, education, and healthcare. By quoting the late President Thomas Sankara of Burkina Faso, Mahama highlighted the significance of ethical grounding in leadership.
The President reiterated the need to protect media and civic space and build regional solidarity, as the collapse of democracy in one nation weakens it elsewhere. He reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to upholding democracy through practical actions, supporting free expression, and working with ECOWAS to promote democratic governance across West Africa.
The event was attended by notable personalities, including former Nigerian Presidents Goodluck Jonathan and Olusegun Obasanjo, as well as Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission.