Former President of Ghana, Jerry Rawlings, has criticised what he describes as the culture of impunity that, according to him, has encouraged the spread of corruption in Africa.
Mr. Rawlings said this in Abuja while addressing a gathering of statesmen, parliamentarians, civil society groups, the academia, development partners, and other participants, on the Challenges and Opportunities of Emerging Democracies in Africa.
He said a situation where petty thieves are slammed with long jail terms while the big thieves in public and private sectors are not prosecuted, is unacceptable.
The conference, which is organised by the Nigeria National Institute for Legislative Studies and the Association of European Parliamentarians for Africa (AWEPA), brought together critical stakeholders to explore the different dimensions of threats and challenges as well as opportunities that confront emerging democracies.
Speakers at the conference explored the environmental, socio-economic and political context of emerging democracies and identified the challenges and opportunities for strengthening democratic institutions and practices.
They also evaluated the role and weaknesses of institutions and actors in the democratic process of emerging democracies and how the weaknesses can be addressed.
Speaking at the event, former Nigerian head of state, Ernest Shonekan said democracy in Africa will succeed if it improves the conditions of living of its people with social and physical infrastructure.
He called on political parties in Nigeria to deepen their internal democracy.
The president of the Senate, David Mark, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, criticised the weakness of most democratic institutions in Africa.
The National Institute for Legislative Studies is an organ of the Nigeria National Assembly established by an Act of Parliament and signed into law by President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011 to ensure the provision of quality academic and professional research, policy analysis, training, documentation and advocacy on democratic governance and legislative practice and procedures for members of parliament.
The Association of European Parliamentarians for Africa (AWEPA) is an international non-governmental organisation founded by European Parliamentarians to reduce poverty and to protect human rights by supporting the well-functioning of parliaments in Africa and by keeping Africa on the political agenda in Europe
Mr. Rawlings said this in Abuja while addressing a gathering of statesmen, parliamentarians, civil society groups, the academia, development partners, and other participants, on the Challenges and Opportunities of Emerging Democracies in Africa.
He said a situation where petty thieves are slammed with long jail terms while the big thieves in public and private sectors are not prosecuted, is unacceptable.
The conference, which is organised by the Nigeria National Institute for Legislative Studies and the Association of European Parliamentarians for Africa (AWEPA), brought together critical stakeholders to explore the different dimensions of threats and challenges as well as opportunities that confront emerging democracies.
Speakers at the conference explored the environmental, socio-economic and political context of emerging democracies and identified the challenges and opportunities for strengthening democratic institutions and practices.
They also evaluated the role and weaknesses of institutions and actors in the democratic process of emerging democracies and how the weaknesses can be addressed.
Speaking at the event, former Nigerian head of state, Ernest Shonekan said democracy in Africa will succeed if it improves the conditions of living of its people with social and physical infrastructure.
He called on political parties in Nigeria to deepen their internal democracy.
The president of the Senate, David Mark, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, criticised the weakness of most democratic institutions in Africa.
The National Institute for Legislative Studies is an organ of the Nigeria National Assembly established by an Act of Parliament and signed into law by President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011 to ensure the provision of quality academic and professional research, policy analysis, training, documentation and advocacy on democratic governance and legislative practice and procedures for members of parliament.
The Association of European Parliamentarians for Africa (AWEPA) is an international non-governmental organisation founded by European Parliamentarians to reduce poverty and to protect human rights by supporting the well-functioning of parliaments in Africa and by keeping Africa on the political agenda in Europe
No comments:
Post a Comment