Why are African democracies failing? Obasanjo, others set to give answers.

The Goodluck Jonathan Foundation (GJF) has announced that its 2025 Democracy Dialogue will take place in Accra, Ghana, on September 17, 2025, with an array of prominent African leaders and global development experts set to participate.

Themed “Why Democracies Die,” this year’s edition will feature Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama, Nigeria’s former Presidents Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, former Burkina Faso Prime Minister and ex-ECOWAS Commission President Kadré Désiré Ouédraogo, and the current ECOWAS Commission President, Dr. Omar Alieu Touray.

The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Most Rev. Matthew Hassan Kukah, will deliver the keynote address.

The session will be chaired by Chief Obasanjo, with discussions centered on the sustainability of democracy in Africa amid mountingpa challenges.

According to the organizers, the dialogue aims to interrogate the decline of democratic values and provide insights on reversing the erosion of norms and institutions across the continent.

Now in its fourth edition since its inception in 2021, the Democracy Dialogue has served as a platform for examining governance, legitimacy, and leadership in Africa. Last year’s forum, which focused on purposeful education, featured Prof. Olubayi Olubayi, a renowned educationist who advocated for the creation of elite, research-driven African universities to spur technological advancement.

Speaking ahead of the 2025 dialogue, GJF’s Executive Director, Ms. Ann Iyonu, described the theme as a timely progression from previous discussions on legitimacy, delivery, and leadership.

“This is now the time for the Dialogue to boldly pose the hardest question bordering on why democracies die,” she said, noting that the forum will bring together political leaders, policymakers, elected representatives, and civil society organizations from across the world.