John Dramani Mahama has called on African nations to reinforce their democratic institutions, cautioning against relying solely on Western benchmarks at a time when global democratic standards are facing significant strain.
Speaking at the opening of the 2026 Judicial Year and the 20th anniversary of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights in Arusha, the President highlighted what he described as a troubling shift in global governance trends.
He noted that institutions once regarded as strongholds of democracy, justice, and the rule of law are experiencing increasing executive interference and diminishing legislative authority. According to him, recent developments across the world point to a pattern of executive overreach that threatens the independence of judiciaries and weakens democratic systems.
President Mahama also expressed concern over tightening restrictions on civil liberties, including freedoms of speech, assembly, and protest. He warned that these developments are contributing to a steady erosion of public trust in governments.
Touching on global interconnectedness, he observed that technological advancement has made crises more far-reaching, citing the rapid global spread of COVID-19 as an example of how events in one region can quickly impact others.
Against this backdrop, he urged African countries to view current global trends as a wake-up call to safeguard and strengthen their own democratic structures, rather than assuming traditional democratic models elsewhere remain immune from decline.
