By Millicent Senava Mannah
The Institute of Governance Reform (IGR) marked the 25th anniversary of Afrobarometer with the launch of its Flagship Report on democracy across Africa. This significant event took place on Monday, July 22, 2024, at the Institute’s Conference Room on Spur Road in Freetown.
The report, encompassing data from 39 countries, reveals robust support for democracy on the continent. Two-thirds (66%) of Africans expressed a preference for democracy over any other system of Government. Furthermore, large majorities reject autocratic forms of governance, with 80% opposing one-man rule, 78% rejected one-party rule and 66% disapproved of military rule.
Afrobarometer’s methodology includes face-to-face interviews conducted in the respondent’s preferred language, ensuring accurate and representative results. The nationally representative samples yield country-level findings with a margin of error between +/-2 to +/-3 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.
In Sierra Leone, the Afrobarometer report indicates that 84% of citizens favor democracy over other forms of Government and a significant 93% rejected one-man rule. Additionally, 84% of respondents opposed military rule, 53% believed the armed forces should stay out of politics, 89% rejected one-party rule and 54% supported multiparty competition.
Dr. Fredline M’Cormack-Hale, Co-Principal Investigator for IGR, highlighted key insights from the report: 72% of the population supported presidential term limits, and 71% prioritized accountability over efficient Government. Moreover, 56% of respondents believed the media should be free from Government control.
The report also revealed that 69% of Sierra Leoneans perceive their country as a democracy (either full or with minor issues) and 56% are fairly or very satisfied with the state of democracy. Furthermore, 65% say the President rarely or never disregards Parliament, laws, and courts. However, only 19% feel that elected Members of Parliament often listen to citizens, and just 23% think local government councillors frequently engage with the public.
Corruption remains a concern, with 47% believing there is some corruption in the presidency and 31% considering most or all officials to be corrupt. Conversely, 15% believe none are corrupt, while 7% either do not know or declined to comment.
Afrobarometer is a Pan-African, non-partisan survey research network that provides reliable data on Africans’ experiences and evaluations of democracy, governance and quality of life.
