Democracy is in dire straits across Africa, participants at the ongoing West Africa Media Excellence Conference and Awards (WAMECA) in Accra, Ghana, say.

The conference is being organised by a non-governmental organisation, Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) in collaboration with the US Embassy in Ghana.

Addressing the gathering on Thursday in Accra, a renowned professor of communication and founder of MFWA, Kwame Karikari, said, “Democracy is under siege in Africa.”

He pointed to the rise of military regimes across West Africa, especially in the Francophone countries of Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Niger, where there is a shrinking of democratic space.

Mr Karikari spoke on the theme of the conference, ‘Media and Democracy in Africa.’

He noted that “the state of democratisation across the continent today confronts threats of major recessions.”

The academic lamented that key pillars of democracy – press freedom, Human rights, and freedom of expression – were vanishing from Africa.

Referencing the conduct of elections on the continent, Mr Karikari said “All kinds of imaginable acts of fraud have undermined the sanctity of elections and reduced the institution to a farce in many, many cases.”

In Nigeria, for instance, electoral outcomes including the recent presidential poll were challenged by opposition political parties up to the Supreme Court where the ruling party’s victory was affirmed.

Elections continue to be marred by fraud and violence in many countries of Africa.

The ideals of transparent multi-party elections, human rights, freedom of expression, socio-economic progress and security, are, today, seriously under siege across our continent.”

“These explain why nearly every election in Africa ends in some level of controversy, legal dispute, or in the extreme violence or even a coup d’etat as has happened in some West African states.”

“Corruption and disregard for democratic norms and values by ruling elites and the political classes, in general, have undermined the rule of law and rendered the institutions of the state ineffectual.

“The system of checks and balances supposed to be introduced in political management of the state are generally dysfunctional.”

Shrinking media space

Toeing Mr Karikari’s path, the Executive Director of MFWA, Sulemana Braimah, in his welcome remarks said there is a recession in fundamental human rights.

“We should all be concerned about the erosion of the fundamental tenets of democracy,” Mr Braimah said.

Decrying the stifling of media space across Africa, Mr Braimah urged journalists to brave the odds and hold the government to account.

Similarly, Marie-Josiane Ngah, Francophone coordinator of West Africa Democracy Solidarity Network (WADEMOS), urged journalists to be fearless in resisting the creeping attacks on press freedom.

Archibald Adams, communications manager, Oxfam in Ghana, acknowledged the role of the media as the “cornerstone of democracy.”

He said journalists continue to face intimidation, harassment and in extreme cases death in Africa.

Mr Adams pledged Oxfam’s commitment to journalistic excellence.

“We are in support of excellent journalism that exposes injustice and corruption,” he said.

In a message to the conference, the US Ambassador in Ghana, Virginia Palmer, said “Democracy in parts of West Africa is under threat.”

Ms Palmer cited Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo’s concern that there had been multiple attempted coups and four successful military takeover of government in West Africa.

“Professional journalists ensure that governments – including my own – are held accountable to answer tough questions,” the statement read in part.

It advised journalists to use the freedom of information law in Ghana and across some African nations to fight corruption both in public and private institutions.

The WAMECA is in its seventh edition where 17 journalists including PREMIUM TIMES reporter, Kabir Yusuf, have been shortlisted for the award ceremony said to be the biggest in the West Africa sub-region.

Winners will be announced at the award ceremony on Saturday evening in Accra.