President John Dramani Mahama on Wednesday, September 17, opened the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation’s Democracy Dialogue 2025 in Accra, calling for the strengthening of democratic institutions and regional solidarity across Africa.
Speaking on the theme “Why Democracies Die”, the President warned that democracy falters when citizens lose faith, leaders abandon integrity, and institutions succumb to capture. He emphasized that a free press remains democracy’s “immune system” and urged African leaders to safeguard media freedoms and civic spaces.
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Outlining the drivers of democratic decline, President Mahama cited weak institutions, corruption and elite capture, exclusion and inequality, leadership deficits, and external pressures. He argued that renewal lies in strengthening independent courts, parliaments, and electoral bodies, while also delivering tangible development in roads, schools, hospitals, and jobs.
Quoting Burkina Faso‘s late President Thomas Sankara, he stressed the importance of ethical leadership and political education, warning that leadership without values was as dangerous as soldiers without ideological grounding.
As host nation, he said Ghana recommits to defending institutional independence, supporting free expression, and standing with ECOWAS in promoting democratic governance across West Africa.
The event, held in collaboration with the Government of Ghana, attracted high-profile figures including former Nigerian Presidents Goodluck Jonathan and Olusegun Obasanjo, and Dr Omar Alieu Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission.
