Democracy in Africa threatened, endangered but you must not give up – Prof. Karikari urges media

Founder of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Prof. Kwame Karikari has admonished the media in Ghana and all other African countries to ‘keep up the struggle’ in order to ensure democracy does not die.

The renowned media practitioner and professor made this statement at the West Africa Media Excellence Conference and Awards (WAMECA 2023) in Accra.

In his address at the Conference on Thursday, November 9, Prof. Kwame Karikari said the factors threatening the progress of democracy, though many, are both from internal and external sources.

He argued that the conduct and management of elections, for example, have been less than progressive, to say the least, adding that all kinds of imaginable acts of fraud have undermined the sanctity of elections and reduced the institution to a farce in many cases.

This he said explains why nearly every election in Africa ends in some level of controversy, legal dispute, extreme violence, or even a coup d’etat as has happened in some West African states.

Bemoaning how corruption and disregard for democratic norms have and continue to affect democracy in countries on the continent, Prof. Karikari stressed that democracy needs effective media to work and advance.

Despite making the case that democracy is under threat, he noted that it is not beyond repair.

This is why he wants to media not to give up but to continue carrying out their work as watchdogs for the sake of the general populace and their countries.

“So far, however, the circumstance of democracy is not beyond repair. It is threatened and endangered. There is no doubt. Until democracy is turned into full dictatorship or such other form of tyranny, the media and civil society must not and cannot give up. We must keep up the struggle,” Prof. Kwame Karikari said.

He further urged attendees of WAMECA 2023 to use the forum to raise their voices and engage in rigorous debate on what the media can do to promote democracy.

The two-day conference is scheduled to end on Friday, November 10, before the awards ceremony on Saturday, November 11, at the World Trade Centre, Accra.

The West Africa Media Excellence Conference and Awards is an initiative of the Media Foundation for West Africa to promote media excellence and media development in the sub-region.

Annually, the event brings together media practitioners, academics, civil society activists, representatives from government, ECOWAS, and the diplomatic community to reflect on the challenges and changing trends in the areas of free expression, media development, and access to information across West Africa. WAMECA also develops strategies for tackling these challenges.

The theme for this year's event is "Media and Democracy in Africa." Participants are deliberating on the current democratic recession in Africa to come out with recommendations for marshalling concrete continent-wide advocacy against the challenges of the democratic rollback in the region.