Governance, Society And Public Awareness
Governance, Society & Public Awareness.
On the African continent, a radical change is being experienced. It is not quantified by the number of GDP growth or number of infrastructure projects though those are important. It is quantified by the silent yet relentless calls of citizens in demand of better governance, increasing strength of civil societies to bring leaders to book and increasing awareness among common people on their rights and duties. This is Governance, Society, and Public Awareness story- the pillars upon which sustainable development is based.
The State of Governance: Developments and Unrelenting Pressures.
Africa has long since ceased to be governed by strongmen and one-party states that characterized the post-independence period. Regular elections are being held in 49 countries of Africa today and peaceful transfers of power are becoming more a norm. Another innovation, which has no equivalent elsewhere, is the peer review mechanism of the African Union that enables the countries to voluntarily compare their governance with continental standards.
But the image is still ambivalent. The Ibrahim Index of African Governance indicates that the overall governance has positively been increasing during the period between 2010 and 2020, although it has slowed down in improvement and reversals have been noticed among the countries. Key challenges include:
The issue of corruption is a thorn in the flesh. Even with anti-corruption agencies in almost all countries, the Corruption Perceptions Index by Transparency International indicates that 44 out of 49 sub- Saharan African countries are below 50 in a 100-point scale. The difference between anti-corruption and enforcement laws weakens the trust people have and misuses the resources in development.
Rule of law is uneven. Some nations have enhanced the independence of their judiciary, whereas others experience executive pressure, court congestion and access to justice by the ordinary citizens. African countries are continuously placed close to the last in the World Justice Project Rule of law Index, but with a wide range of difference between countries.
Civil involvement is increasing but partial. Community groups, civil society organizations and social movements are becoming quite vocal but many are unable to get meaningful participation in the policy processes. The distance between the official consultation and the actual influence irritates citizens and contributes to disengagement.
Society in Transition: Urbanization, Identity and Demographics.
The societies of Africa are changing at an unprecedented rate. The population of the continent is the youngest in the world with projections of 2.5 billion in 2050- a demographic dividend that is yet to be exploited. This generation of youth has both its opportunities and pressures.
Social structures are being redesigned due to urbanization. Africa is the urbanizing region in the world with the growth rate of cities per year at 4%. This concentration generates additional economic development and service provision opportunities but it puts strain on housing services, transportation services, and social services. It also changes the classical social connections because rural-urban migrants manipulate unfamiliar worlds and selves.
The two major areas of discussion in society are identity and inclusion. Ethnic, religious and regional identities are also strong forces and they are at times used by businessmen in politics. But throughout the continent inclusion movements are on the rise. The number of women in parliaments has gone up-Rwanda has the largest number of 61% female lawmakers yet the growth is still skewed. The young ones and disadvantaged groups are seeking more and more decision-making tables.
Social cohesion faces tests. The social fabric is challenged by inequality in and between nations. The urban elite and the rural population, professional jobs and the informal classes, the generations having different opportunities, those living in towns and those in the country, and so on, the gap could be the source of bitterness and turmoil in case unaddressed.
Public Awareness: The Accountability Engine.
Public awareness is the key to proper governance and unity in the society. Accountability requires citizens to comprehend their rights, to be able to access information on government performance and engage in people discussion.
There has been an improvement in access to information. More than 30 African nations now enacted law access to information enabling the citizens to demand the government documentation and follow any government officials to accountability. However, it is not practiced, and the problems of bureaucracy, fees, and delays restrict its real use.
Freedom of media is threatened but strong. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, journalists in Africa have been harassed, detained and even victims of violence and some countries have been ranked as the most dangerous to the media workers in the world. However, independent sources, investigations, and citizen journalism remain exposers of wrongful action and contribute to the public discussion.
The digital transformation is increasing awareness. In Africa, social media sites have become the realms of open discussions with more than 500 million internet users. Such digital activism as the movements in Nigeria (EndSARS), in Zimbabwe (ThisFlag), in Tanzania (Zabia) have shown how citizens can speak up and force an authority to act. However, the digital divide between city and country, youth and adults, men and women, puts millions of people out of these discussions.
Civic Space: The Space of Interaction.
Any democracy is determined by the freedom within which citizens can organize, lobby and participate. In Africa, this civil space is disputed.
Civil society organizations are important in service delivery, advocacy and monitoring. These organizations connect the gaps between citizens and the state, transforming the community-based organizations to national non-governmental organizations, and regional networks. However, their freedom is increasingly being curtailed in certain countries, with legislations governing foreign donations, registration of associations, and monitoring of activists.
Workers are represented by trade unions and professional associations and get into the policy debate. They are weakly represented in some quarters on the continent, some exercising influential positions and others struggling to be relevant within an ever more informalized economy.
Traditional institutions and community-based organizations are still needed in the local levels. Where the formal systems are inadequate, village councils, women groups, youth associations, and faith based organizations tend to perform the same services and solve conflict situations. They cannot be forgotten in the governance process due to their legitimacy and breadth.
Public Services: At the Intersection of Governance and Day-to-Day Life.
To the majority of citizens, there is no abstract concept of governance but through the quality of the services provided to people. The citizen has an encounter with the state at health clinics, schools, water systems, and roads.
Massive strains are placed on health systems. Africa is a continent that bears 25 percent of the disease burden in the world coupled by a 3 percent health workforce. There is the shortage of medicine, the lack of equipment and the lack of staffing which are the day-to-day occurrence. However, community health work innovations, digital health and community manufacture have a future.
What are the issues of governance that are the most important in your community? What can citizens do to enhance the civic awareness and responsibility? Get involved in the discussion below. To continue the analysis on the aspects of forces that are defining the African societies, continue reading Insight Africa Today.
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