Globalisation, Democracy and Governance in Africa: A Progressive Decline?

Abstract

Globalisation is said to, among other things, have transformed the world into a global village.
Thus, globalisation has redefined democratic governance across the globe. Not only that,
globalisation has succeeded in highlighting challenges of underdevelopment, uneven
development, inequality, misgovernance, etc., simply by providing a wide platform on which
performance – or lack of it – can be measured. As is to be expected, Africa’s catch-up task
has in no way gotten easier. Data for this paper were generated mainly from secondary
sources, and analysed using the qualitative method. Using Marxist theory of the State, this
paper argues that despite the dynamic, intricate relationship between globalisation,
democracy and governance, the acquisition of state power has remained paramount in Africa
given the high premium attached to it. As a consequence, there is a preponderance of
corruption, bad governance, insecurity, repression, progressive underdevelopment and
inequality. Through an analysis of economic, political, and social dimensions, this paper
examines the impacts of globalisation on democracy and governance structures and
processes. The central argument of the paper is that globalisation highlights governance gaps
in Africa through recurrent issues like transnational security threats, corruption, political
instability and suppression of opposition voices. The paper recommends, among other things,
the reformation of political power structures to be more participatory, inclusive, accountable
and transparent.