Former Nigerian President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo will, in a fortnight, lead other past African Heads of State and Government to a high-level summit to explore the possibilities of developing an alternative political and governance system for African countries.
Disappointed by the seeming failure of Western Liberal Democracy on the continent, these eminent leaders under the auspices of the African Progress Group (APG) will be converging in Nigeria to chart a new course for a home-grown democracy in Africa.
According to an issued letter of invitation, participants of the high-level regional consultation will be deliberating on the theme: “Rethinking Western Liberal Democracy in Africa”.
The Executive Director of APG secretariat, Dr. Peter Okebukola, disclosed that during the proposed meeting, the participants including some leaders of the private sector, will critically evaluate the success and failure of the adoption of Western Liberal Democracy by African countries.
According to Okebukola, the meeting, which will be held at the International Conference Centre, Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta, Ogun State, will also discuss the impact of democracy on development in these countries.
The letter said, “The grand outcome of the consultation will be the drafting of a blueprint which provides a model of governance that will be best suited for the African context, respecting national and regional sociocultural contexts and with more promising potentials to foster development.
“It will design an Afrocentric approach to democracy that will take into account Africa’s values, beliefs, orientations, attitudes, knowledge base, history, traditions and customs and encourage transparency and accountability”.
It was gathered that the summit will undertake peer review sessions, especially against the background of unbridled corruption, political instability, poverty and underdevelopment in most African countries.
