Orienting Young Leaders on Democracy and Anti-Corruption: A project to revive the ideals of democracy among the youth in Ghana
by Bright K. Sowu
There is a worrisome trend of democratic backsliding and erosion of democratic norms, processes, and institutions globally. The West African sub-region is experiencing an exacerbation of this trend. In the last three years, there have been coup d’etats in Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. Some of these coups have enjoyed popular support due to limited trust and confidence in the democratic system. Some analysts have pointed to a limited ability of the democratic system in West Africa to deliver the needed social goods for citizens. In Ghana, there has been a recent tendency for the youth to consider democracy as a foreign model that is unfit for the country — a phenomenon often referred to as ‘democracy bashing’.
In an analysis of the Afrobarometre surveys of 2019–2021, authors Keulder & Mattes (2021) titled their Washington Post article, “Why are Africans Dissatisfied with Democracy? Think Corruption.” Corruption remains both prevalent and pervasive in Ghana. The country has never scored beyond 48% on the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) by Transparency International. The country’s performance on the CPI has been stagnant over the last 4 years, scoring 43/100 in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.
A number of root causes have been associated with the current state of corruption in Ghana. However, the real danger right now is the seemingly universal acceptance of corruption as the way of life. The culture of corruption has achieved normalcy so much so that people are engaging in corruption with impunity. Reports from tertiary institutions in the last decade have shown that the canker of corruption experienced at the national and sub-national level is taking root among youth leaders as well. Media has cited and reported student leaders for embezzlement of student government funds, electoral fraud, misappropriation of funds, inflation of costs, etc.
This project is founded on the theory that no system of governance automatically yields the social goods expected by citizens. A government of the people, by the people and for the people (democracy) thrives on participation by the people. The people (citizens) need to assert their participation. Leaders must also create platforms for engagement to ensure transparency and accountability in governance.
The project targeted youth leaders with training on democratic governance. The training focused on the issue of trust as an inherent underpin of leadership in a democracy and as an anti-corruption tool. In a democracy, leadership is a position of trust held on behalf of the people. Leaders therefore have an obligation to involve their constituents in decision-making via participatory governance and to make decisions in the interest of the people rather than their own parochial interest. Leadership that is focused on the needs of the people distances itself from corruption.
The goal of the project was to orient youth leaders to the nexus of the principles of democratic governance and anti-corruption. The project’s training content was first piloted at the University of Ghana in April 2023. The session was attended by 172 student leaders. Below are some pictures from the pilot session:
The student participants evaluated the module, and the feedback was generally positive. However, they were quite unanimous in claiming that the module was too long. The students preferred a short session that highlighted and discussed the major issues. Another compelling argument made by the students for a short session was that a short session in video format could be shared via social media platforms, allowing it to go viral and reach many young people.
The module on democracy has been revised because of student feedback. The educational institutions engaged in the project also contributed heavily to shaping the final format for the module. The revised module has been converted to the electronic format by LETI Arts and is now available online via: https://oylportal.com/courses-page/democracy/ . Below is a screenshot of the website:
The choice of an electronic medium to deliver this training augurs well for sustainability and replication with future generation of students.
We designed this project as part of a bigger program. The ultimate aim is to change the attitude of Ghanaian youth to democracy and anticorruption and for youth to realize their own agency in democratic governance and anticorruption.
We are currently publicizing the website and the training module to youth in schools, clubs, faith-based organizations, and communities. This training module and the expected outcomes will hopefully contribute to efforts to consolidate the place of democracy as the preferred system of governance.
Bright Kwadwo Sowu is a 2017 alumnus of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders (YALI) from Ghana. He participated in the November 2022 Alumni TIES seminar on “Youth and Opportunity: Defending Democracy and Advancing Human Rights” in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Alumni TIES is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and supported in its implementation by World Learning, in partnership with the Office of Alumni Affairs of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA).
