An article on democracy and public trust in Africa by Dr Temitayo Odeyemi (Research fellow, University of Birmingham and member of the IPEN Executive Team) has been published in The Conversation.
Temitayo Odeyemi is a political scientist whose work in comparative politics focuses on political institutions and democratic engagement in Africa. His broader research builds on his PhD on institutional development and legislative public engagement in Nigeria.
In this article, Odeyemi cites pan-African research network Afrobarometer‘s Citizen Engagement, Citizen Power (released in July 2025) which reports that over 60% of Africans are dissatisfied with how democracy works in their countries. Temitayo says:
“Support for democracy remains high, but belief in its effectiveness is fading, especially when citizens feel excluded from meaningful participation in decisions that affect them.
“Put simply: the crisis of participation results from people being absent from the room when decisions that affect them are made. This article sets out practical ways parliaments can bring citizens in.”
“If parliaments legislate without the people, citizens will seek a voice elsewhere.”
Temitayo discusses how the Afrobarometer report shows that citizens are not turning away from democracy itself but are turning away from democratic institutions that don’t include them.
He illustrates the cost of disengagement with two recent examples in Kenya (where mass protests erupted after parliament passed controversial tax measures without adequate public consultation) and Nigeria (where lawmakers reinstated a colonial-era national anthem in a single day, bypassing public input).
Temitayo concludes that:
“Participation can reconnect citizens to democracy and restore trust in governance. But only if it is meaningful, sustained and inclusive.
“The events in Kenya and Nigeria demonstrate the risks of exclusion. If parliaments legislate without the people, citizens will seek a voice elsewhere – through protests, populist movements, or authoritarian alternatives.”
You can read Temitayo Odeyemi’s article – 60% of Africans don’t believe democracy is working in their interests – how parliaments can fix the problem – in The Conversation (published on 1 September 2025).
More information
Temitayo’s article has also been published in French – read it here.
Hear more about Temitayo’s research in this interview with IPEN member Dr Beatriz Rey, published on 29 October in Modern Parliament (“ModParl”), a newsletter from POPVOX Foundation.
10 November 2025