Democracy in Africa: Then & Now | Kofi Time with Mohamed Ibn Chambas

"Too many regimes fail to represent the needs and hopes of their people." In Kofi Time episode 9, podcast host Ahmad Fawzi welcomes Mohamed Ibn Chambas to discuss democracy in Africa. Together they discuss the reasons why democracy seems to have lost some of its shine on the continent, especially among young people. And yet, surveys show that a great majority of people reject autocrats and military takeovers. Learning from Kofi Annan's leadership, how can we increase democratic resilience and facilitate the participation of civil society, women and young people? About Mohamed Ibn Chambas: Dr Mohamed Ibn Chambas is a Ghanaian politician, lawyer, diplomat and academic. He served previously as Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for West Africa and Head of the UN Office for West Africa (UNOWAS) from 2014 to 2021. Dr Chambas was the Joint Special Representative (JSR) of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur(UNAMID) and Joint Chief Mediator (JCM) in charge of the Darfur peace negotiations between 2013–14. From 2010–13, he was the Secretary-General of the African Caribbean and Pacific Group (ACP). Prior to his leadership of the ACP, Dr Chambas served as President of the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) from 2007–2010. He also served as the Executive Secretary of ECOWAS starting in February 2002, when ECOWAS was a Secretariat.