Pathways to consolidating constitutionalism going forward

I have been asked to speak on the Theme: “Pathways to consolidating constitutionalism going forward.”

I am glad that the theme is forward-looking because I don’t share the pessimistic view about democratic backsliding in Africa. My optimistic view about the state of democracy in Africa and the prospects for further democratic consolidation are informed by a historical analysis of the democratic experiment in Africa.

To appreciate the progress of the African democratic experience, I have borrowed from the work of the scholar, Samuel Huntington, who, at the beginning of the 1990s, theorised in his book ‘Democracy’s Third Wave’ about the prospects for democracy in the developing world, including Africa. There is no doubt that the trajectory of democracy in Africa has been anchored through the emerging African governance architecture.

The milieu of African governance and the evolution of democracy can be best understood by what I postulate to be the ‘Three Waves of African Leadership’.

The ‘first wave of African leadership’ was characterised by extraordinary personalities, liberators and founding fathers such as: Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, Sékou Touré of Guinea-Conakry, Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, Modibo Keita of Mali, Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt, Sir Seretse Khama of Botswana, Jomo Kenyatta of Kenya, Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia, Antonio Augustinho Neto of Angola and Samora Machel of Mozambique. With respect to settler colonies in Southern Africa, our own comrades Sam Nujoma, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and Nelson Mandela of South Africa are among the league of extraordinary personalities.

The ‘second wave of African leaders’ were caught up in the Cold War era, when geopolitics divided the world between East and West. This period was characterised by coups d’état, one-party states and instability in certain African countries. However, it does not mean that we didn’t experience progress in parts of our continent.

This tumultuous period was followed by a transition, where a new generation of leaders emerged. In a quest to bring about economic emancipation, which is the objective of the second phase of the struggle, third-wave leaders have turned their focus toward establishing strong democratic principles characterised by robust processes, systems and institutions.

Thus, Africa and Namibia have now entered into the ‘third wave of African leadership’, a democratic dispensation characterised by efforts to cement a sound governance architecture. The focus of this wave is to strengthen processes, systems and institutions, so as to accountably and effectively deliver public services and build trust.

I believe that as the elected representatives of the sovereigns who vote us into office, we can only build trust with the voters when we are transparent and accountable – hence my mantra: Accountability plus transparency equals trust.

Therefore, without effective governance, including accountability and transparency, the future of democracy and constitutionalism is bleak. We are not big men imposing our will on citizens through force or the barrel of a gun. On the contrary, we come through the ballot paper, which is the weapon of choice for the third wave of African leaders. Even when you look at the question of term limits, over a three-decade historical period since the end of the Cold War, you will notice that many governments have subscribed to the idea of term limits.

I can confidently say that the transition to the third-wave leadership is showing an upward trend and I don’t see a return to non-democratic transitions in Africa.

The key issue is to ensure the sustainability of our democracies by delivering prosperity through effective governance. We must intensify our fight against youth unemployment; we must intensify our fight against tribalism and all the other isms; and we must intensify our fight against corruption, which robs ordinary citizens.

Yes, in recent months, there have been a few reversals, which I won’t refer to as democratic backsliding because the commitment to democratic governance in Africa remains unshaken. When you look at the recent coups in Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea– what happened thereafter?

You would have noticed that it is not Europeans or Americans who acted to condemn the military takeovers of constitutional governments in those countries. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), as the empowered Regional Economic Community, acted in unison to suspend these countries from their proceedings and is leading efforts to ensure the return of constitutionalism in those three countries. Moreover, the African Union, suspended Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso from participation in the processes and institutions of the African Union.

Therefore, the pathways to consolidating democracy and constitutionalism in Africa have been institutionalized through the African governance architecture. Democracy in Africa is not going through a recession. On the contrary, it is being consolidated and the safeguards through the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) attest to that reality.

I remain very positive about the future of our great continent. The Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA) lists that this year alone, we will have 20 elections across the continent, from north to south.

This is indicative of the commitment of African leaders to democracy. I am confident, that if we continue on the positive democratic path, together as brothers and sisters bound by kinship and driven by the spirit of Pan-Africanism, we will consolidate democracy and constitutionalism in Africa. Let us remain upbeat, hold hands and pull as one towards achieving the Africa We Want.

*This statement was delivered earlier this week by President Hage Geingob on the occasion of the International Summit on Constitutionalism and Democratic Consolidation in Africa. The statement has been shortened.