There is growing concern about the fragile basis for democracy in many African countries. The exclusion of large sections of the population, such as ethnic minorities, women and youth, is still a widespread problem. Furthermore, political parties are undermined by factors like corruption, elitism, and top-down decision-making. The core objective is to promote inclusiveness and to enhance participation in the democratization process in Africa.
Continental Level
In 2005, IDEA will continue to promote its democracy assessment methodology as part of the process to develop the New Partnership for African Development Peer Review Mechanism.
Sub-Regional Level
West and Southern Africa
Over the next three years IDEA will conduct a comprehensive survey of the external (regulatory) and internal (organization, funding and gender representation) environments in which political parties operate in Southern and West Africa. In 2004, research will be conducted in six Southern African countries (Botswana, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zambia) and five West African nations (Burkina Faso, Benin, Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal). It is expected that the project will be extended to cover Central, East and North Africa in 2005–2006. The findings should serve to stimulate dialogue at the national and sub-regional levels.
In 2004, a seminar took place on the representation of women in parliament in West Africa, following up on initiatives conducted in 2003 in conjunction with the launch of the French version of the Women in Parliament: Beyond Numbers Handbook.
In 2005 IDEA plans to carry out a review of implementation of the Southern African Development Community’s
Declaration on Gender and Development, following elections throughout the region.
In 2004–2005, IDEA will seek to contribute to the design of the ECOWAS Parliament’s electoral system in order to increase the number of female representatives in the institution.
