Mo Ibrahim Warns Of Declining Democracy In Africa Amid Global Rise Of Strongmen
Democracy and human rights are facing growing challenges across Africa as political leaders increasingly embrace authoritarian practices, echoing a global shift towards strongman leadership, governance watchdog Mo Ibrahim has warned.
This story is written and edited by Global South World
The Sudanese-British billionaire and founder of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation said the growing influence of strongman politics worldwide was emboldening African leaders to weaken democratic institutions and erode civil liberties.
The foundation’s latest governance report found improvements in economic opportunities and human development over the past decade, but significant declines in security, human rights and public participation.
According to the report, 30 African countries, representing half the continent’s population, recorded improved governance scores between 2016 and 2025, while 23 countries deteriorated and one remained unchanged.
Ibrahim highlighted recent elections in Tanzania, where security forces were accused of killing thousands of protesters, and Uganda, where opposition leader Bobi Wine reportedly faced attacks and intimidation.
“It’s just disgraceful,” Ibrahim told AFP. He attributed the decline partly to weakening liberal democracy worldwide, pointing to political developments in the United States, Europe and Russia.
“It is a strange era… we can see this phenomenon of the rise of strongmen everywhere,” he said.
Ibrahim also criticised the Trump administration’s shift towards more transactional diplomacy, arguing that it was weakening the international order and the rule of law.
This article was originally published by Global South World and is republished here with permission. View the original article.
Global South World was created to address the emergence of influential nations outside traditional power structures in geopolitics. Our mission is to amplify voices from the Global South and raise awareness of changes and trends in those countries.