Building The Africa We Want Through Good Governance and Accountability

At a time when democracy and rule of law are emerging as acceptable models of ensuring political development in Africa, the winners-take-all system among political elites has continued to be one of the major impediment to political and economic transformation of many African countries.

Beyond political challenges to Africa’s growth and development, many other challenges abound. Institutional permutations, decline in revenue generation, insecurity, among others have continued to seem like an insurmountable barrier to achieving sustainable development and transformation in Africa.

To achieve full development in any nation of the world, its citizens have to be keenly interested in the governance process. This implies that no nation or community develops completely without a meaningful contribution from its citizens regardless of their status in the society.

When we talk about a good democratic system, active citizenship cannot be dismissed as it Is a crucial prerequisite for good governance. Just as the former president of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, said, “any society or country that closes the vital valves of its democratic space can neither develop at a reasonable pace nor have good governance”.

Like every society, Nigerian system is design to comprise an array of economic, cultural, religious, political and other professional structures. To achieve the goals of each structures as well as societal good, a good governance is key. However, what makes a good governance?

In many developed countries, good governance is often marked by citizen participation, openness, transparency and accountability. Hence, it is important that we build the nation of our choice by promoting accountability through active citizenship.