Democratic Trap and Regional Leadership in Africa: a challenge of our time

Written by Boniface Mhella (PhD.)

The current economic crisis is accompanied by many other crises in different fields of actions. Political leadership being one of them. On the global level it is questionable whether the crisis has brought to an end the global leadership of the USA and it's allies. 

Actually in Africa post independence, the new type of leadership of international cooperation is much more needed. For example, the recent 'Harambee' to raise funds for Somalia is an innovative style of cooperation that needs poor African countries, without relying heavily on the benevolence of the West, to act jointly to support poor Somalians by showing sympathy in the fight against poverty and non-governability of the country and region. At the same time, the 15-nations of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) met to address their problems including the problem of the ongoing leadership battles in Zimbabwe and Madagasca. 

The summit ended up with the election of President  Zuma and President Kikwete to head the SADC’s organ on politics, defence and security. This of course is a demonstration of the region’s affirmation to resolve conflicts in the SADC region.

But while African leaders are trying to cooperate by facing common challenges jointly, most of them are still facing increasing domestic challenges which might set back their devotion  to the regional problems. For example, we are  on the heels of crackdowns on anti-government protests in Malawi, which killed at least 19 people, and in the continent's last absolute monarchy, Swaziland, which together with the ongoing domestic tensions in other parts of Africa, do add to the list of African leaders' headaches. 

President Kikwete himself, despite being seen as a leader who can lead negotiation to win many of the African crises, is facing increasing pressure domestically to reduce his international flights and State visits in other countries. Such domestic opposition to his leadership do challenge his regional commitment as he might reduce his international exposure and his engagement in international affairs in order to satisfy the demands of his voters. 

Basically President Kikwete  has fallen into a "democratic trap": a situation in which a leader is in the serious crisis of confidence from his own domestic voters, in the midst of obvious regional crisis that needs him to play a leading part in negotiations.

In a democratic country, voters may have a strong preference to their leader. But they may start to disapprove him when their leader is seen to be insensitive to their problems. And the fact that their leader is engaged into the problems of 'others', his leadership may fall into democratic trap.  The same trap Tanzanian President is caught into, many others are seemed to face.  What should we do now? The best solution is to re-educate and recreate virtuously the trust that establishes the social contract between the president and its people. 


Citizens in the democratic countries must understand that the current African regional system does not have effective legal instruments to solve its regional problems. In most cases leaders between themselves are undemocratically chosen to head regional organs without being mandated by their own voters.But above all solutions, leaders must still understand that nothing will be effective than responding to the problems of their people. While participation in Africa affairs, presidents must make serious decision to bring into accountability, transparency and good governance their own governments, together with fighting corruption and ufisadi. Otherwise their own voters will continue to disapprove all of their good efforts in international affairs. As an academician, I see the existence of leaders' 'democratic trap' in Africa as a clear sign of a need to speed up regional integration towards regional federations. While globalisation has brought Africans closer to each other, the regional politics and the way leaders are legitimised has been left unchanged. There is no doubt that the old style of leadership based on national identity is becoming no longer very effective in africa yet leaders are slow in reforming the political systems of africa to adapt new changes. 


What else do we expect from such a system if not the deepening of democratic trap?