As US Goes Big in Africa, Democracy on the Continent Is Failing, Experts Say

‘Backsliding ... that we haven’t seen in decades, with coups and conflicts and political instability and fraudulent elections in many countries.’

Police officers enforce a restriction imposed on motorists during local elections in Lagos, Nigeria, on March 18, 2023. Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP via Getty Images

Africans are less optimistic about democracy than they’ve been in decades.

In surveys this year, many Africans even indicated they would give up the right to vote in exchange for jobs and good governance, according to Afrobarometer, an independent research network that measures public attitudes across the continent.