Law, Democracy and Good Governance in Africa: Is Democracy a Panacea to Good Governance?

Abstract

 The democratization of the world is said to be an imperative to stability and human fulfilment. Many African nations joined this trend immediately after gaining their independence. However, the more democratic African nations become, the less the rule of law and good governance seem to elude them. Africa is plagued by bad governance, human right abuses, underdevelopment, corruption and poverty. People are no longer sure whether to insist on democracy or accept autocratic leadership if that can give them good governance and development. This paper looks into the synergy of the abused triangle of law, democracy and good governance in Africa. It discussed briefly the democratic experience of some African countries vis-a-vis Republic of Niger, Nigeria and Mali; and wonder whether democracy is the only way to good governance. It employed the doctrinal approach through the use of primary and secondary materials and concludes that the good governance shown by some Asian countries like China who care less about democracy is a clear evidence that democracy is not sine qua non to good governance and recommends that Africans should adopt any model of governance that fits into their cultural, economic and political history and which can guarantee them a better living condition.

Keywords: Democracy; good governance; bad governance; military; Constitution; Nigeria; Niger; Mali.