Is Africa walking at its own pace? This question is enigmatic in many respects and yet it is at the heart of the most informed African talks. A Paradox? It concerns people and continues to fuel debate among those who believe that Africa is lagging behind in terms of development and the entrenchment of democratic principles.
(Abderhamane Ngaide, The State of Democracy in Africa, Goree Institute, 2008)
On the 28th of January 2010 the Goree Institue will launch of its recent publication ‘The State of Democracy in West Africa’.
After a year of work by West African researchers the book was published in December 2009. Published in both English and French at the end of 2009, this book by Gorée Institute makes an effective diagnosis of the state of democracy and elections in the West-African countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Niger and Senegal, as reflected by the research and the insights of a number of contributors with a thorough knowledge of the countries concerned.
The book does not make hasty generalizations or homogenize practices, but produces a report that draws a picture of the West African context and allows a transversal reading of what takes place in this part of the continent, where democracy evolves with its imperfections. Beyond the findings, it draws the outlines of a possible improvement even of a significant intensification of the democratic principles and processes in Africa, if all the actors agree on the minimum.
The publication will soon be available at the Goree Insitute.
