By Peter Omopo
Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan will host prominent African leaders and global development experts at the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation 2025 Democracy Dialogue in Accra, Ghana, on September 17.
In a statement on Tuesday, Jonathan’s Special Adviser, Ikechukwu Eze, said the high-level event will focus on the theme, “Why Democracies Die,” and will be co-hosted by the Government of Ghana.
Distinguished leaders expected at the gathering include Ghana’s former President John Mahama; Nigeria’s ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, who will chair the dialogue; Kadré Ouédraogo, former Prime Minister of Burkina Faso and ex-President of the ECOWAS Commission; and Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, current President of the ECOWAS Commission.
Also billed to attend is the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Most Rev. Matthew Kukah, who will deliver the keynote address.
Eze explained that the dialogue would provide an opportunity to assess the progress, challenges, and future prospects of democracy in West Africa and beyond, at a time when democratic norms face increasing threats.
“The keynote speaker, Bishop Kukah, panellists and other resource persons at the 2025 dialogue are expected to throw more light on what needs to be done to arrest the pattern of decline and gradual erosion of democratic rules and norms in Africa,” he said.
The 2025 edition marks the fourth in the annual series, which began in 2021 as part of the Foundation’s mission to interrogate the state of governance and strengthen democracy across the continent.
Last year’s edition, held in Abuja, centred on purposeful education, with Prof. Olubayi Olubayi, Chief Academic Officer at Maarifa Education in Kenya, advocating for the establishment of elite research-intensive universities to drive Africa’s technological and educational advancement.
This year’s dialogue is expected to generate fresh insights into safeguarding democratic institutions and sustaining good governance in Africa.
