Governance Institutions in Africa and the Consolidation of Democracy

Weak governance institutions and bad governance practices have always undermined Africa’s quest to consolidate her democratic gains and development. The African Peer Review Mechanism, a self monitoring mechanism, established by African Union members to ensure that the policies and practices of participating countries conform to the agreed political, economic, and corporate governance codes, standards, and values contained in the New Partnership for Africa’s Development declaration on Democracy, Good Political, Economic and Corporate Governance have contributed in consolidating democracy and good governance in Ghana through the widening of the political space for civil society groups and people at the grassroots to participate in the governance process. Since going through the first review, Ghana has taken measures to consolidate her democracy and is now widely regarded as one of the most democratic countries in Africa. Using a variety of data sources, this study sets out to identify the conditions necessary for the consolidation of democracy in Africa. It also identifies some governance institutions that are critical in democratic consolidation. The broad focus is on Ghana.