EU Democracy Support in Africa in an Era of Uncertainty: What do African citizens expect and what can we learn from it?

Frontiers in Development Policy: a meetings series sponsored by the European Think-Tanks Group and DEVCO

Support for democracy, human rights, and good governance reforms in Africa has become a prominent objective in engagement by EU institutions and EU member states with African countries since the early 1990s. However, after a period of 25 years, this agenda is now under considerable pressure. Domestic challenges to democracy within Europe, domestic dynamics in African countries, and the rise of China as an alternative authoritarian political model make it difficult for European and other external actors to contribute effectively to political reforms on the continent. At the same time, African citizens' support for democracy continues to be high. In countries like Mali or Uganda, the people have even called upon the international community to support democratic processes and values in their countries. In this context, the InfoPoint discussed two sets of questions:

1. What do we know about the effectiveness of EU democracy support in Africa and which factors influence the effectiveness of the EU’s support?
2. What do African citizens expect with regard to democracy in their countries? How do African citizens perceive different political models and external actors’ cooperation strategies? How could the EU and African players further develop their cooperation on democracy and human rights?

Speakers

• Laura Bretea, European Commission – DEVCO
• Patrick Costello, European External Action Service
• Christine Hackenesch, German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE)
• Edem Selormey, Afrobarometer

Moderation

• Julia Leininger, German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE)