Obasanjo to chair conference on rethinking western liberal democracy in Africa

Aagainst the backdrop of wave of coups across West and Central Africa, former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, would from November 20 chair a two-day Africa Progress Group (APG) regional consultation conference on ‘Rethinking Western Liberal Democracy in Africa’.

The conference to be held at the International Conference Centre, Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta aims to critically evaluate the success and failure stories of the impact on development, of the adoption of Western liberal democracy by African countries.

A statement by Peter A. Okebukola,  executive director, APG Secretariat said the outcome of the consultation will “facilitate the drafting of a blueprint which would provide a model of governance that is best suited for the African context, respecting national and regional socio cultural contexts and with more promising potential to foster development.

“It will design an Afrocentric approach to democracy that will take into account Africa’s values, beliefs, orientations, attitudes, knowledge base, history, traditions and customs and encourage transparency and accountability”, he said.

Membership of APG includes past Heads of State and Government of African nations and leaders of the private sector.

APG consists of six distinguished individuals from the private and public sector who advocate for equitable and sustainable development for Africa. General Olusegun Obasanjo, former President of Nigeria, chairs the APG and is closely involved in its day-to-day work.

The life experiences of Group members give them a formidable capability to access the worlds of politics, business, diplomacy and civil society at the highest levels in Africa and across the globe. As a result, the Panel functions in a unique policy space with the ability to influence diverse decision-makers.

The Panel builds coalitions to leverage and broker knowledge and to convene decision-makers to create change in Africa. The Group has extensive networks of policy analysts and think tanks across Africa and the world. By bringing together the latest thinking from these knowledge and political networks, the APG contributes to generating evidence-based policies that can drive the transformation of the continent.