Report: The State of Democracy in Africa 2024

December 2, 2024

Political developments in recent years have contributed to a renewed sense of concern regarding the stability of democratic institutions across the African continent. A spate of coups, contested elections, and widespread civic unrest have called into question the assumed preeminence of these systems in the continent’s future. Results from an extensive survey by Afrobarometer this year suggests that while popular support for democracy remains relatively high (66% of those surveyed prefer democracy to any other form of government), this support has continued to wane over the past decade. This trend has come at a critically important juncture for the continent. As a new generation of Africans begin to form their understanding of and relationship to systems of authority, it seems a useful time to check in on the current state of these institutions and try to understand how they can be improved and maintained under the creeping threat of more illiberal and authoritarian forms of government.

For better understanding, we turned to a range of multi-disciplinary policy professionals with a broad understanding of the governance landscape across the continent, as well as specific regional and subject-matter expertise on pertinent issues. This report represents a comprehensive assessment of the state of democratic institutions across Africa in 2024, as well as a look forward to the coming year at how these institutions might continue to fare. The author of each chapter will provide perspectives from their respective region, with a particular emphasis on their specific area of expertise. Broadly, authors are asked to answer the following two questions:

  • What is the state of democracy in your region of Africa?
  • What single issue do you believe will be most consequential to the state of its democracy in the coming year?

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This report features insights from Nneka Okechukwu, Dr. Mireille Rebeiz, Dr. Tigere Chagutah, Patrick Kulati, and Rudy Howard Massamba, ending with a synthesis of their key findings. Read the full report here.