International Conference 2026

Democracy’s appeal as a system of governance grew tremendously after the Cold War. This appeal was noted by the renowned Samuel Huntington in his popular work, The Third Wave: Democratisation in the Late Twentieth Century. This is to the extent that the hitherto illiberal regimes across Africa have given in to democratic pressure, initiating routine of elections and core democratic governance in many countries. One of the main arguments in the democratization crusade is that it is a veritable route that many of the continent’s underdeveloped nations need to tread towards development. This position was much celebrated in Africa, as Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja noted, in an edited volume on democratisation, democratic transition on the continent was deemed a second independence. Serious efforts have been made afterwards to ensure that democracy becomes the only power on the continent. One such effort is the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, which was adopted in 2007 by the African Union.
While there have been divergent opinions on the veracity of the development-engendering function and potential of democracy, as it relates to Africa, many of the countries that adopted it during that period have recorded some development, albeit they have a long way to go. The core of democracy has arguably been under its most serious challenge within this decade. This is signposted by the emergence of Donald Trump onto the American political landscape and the rise of populist politics across the world since around 2015. The re-emergence of Trump, which has been code-named Trump 2.0 in 2024, has also given rise to serious questions about the promise of democracy. Similarly, the transition of China from an underdeveloped nation to the pinnacle of economic development within a few decades also serves to pose further questions on the link between democracy and development and whether African countries indeed need to go democratic to achieve development.
Thus, there is no doubting the fact that the world is experiencing a democratic reversal. Democracy and the very institutions that undergird it are now being undone from within. For African and other developing regions, the prospects of development as an outgrowth of democracy and democratic governance are now beginning to look like a farce. As a matter of fact, the reversion to illiberalism in some African countries through military coups shows that there is a growing discontent towards democracy in Africa, as fueled by the wind of the global democratic reversal. This portends that there is a need to re-tune and retool democracy in Africa to yield popular development.

CONFERENCE CONVENERS

Prof Mudau T. J. Head, Institute of Gender & Youth Studies, University of Venda, South Africa:
Prof Kayode Eesuola, Institute of African & Diaspora Studies, University of Lagos, Nigeria
Prof Pfano Mashau, Durban University of Technology, South Africa
Prof Phemelo Marumo, North West University, Mafikeng, South Africa
Prof Innocent Simphiwe Nojiyeza, Durban University of Technology, South Africa