Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to advancing Africa’s democratic governance, regional cooperation, and multilateral partnership.
Tuggar told the participants at the African Union forum on regional partnership for democracy that Nigeria remains convinced that democracy in Africa can be safeguarded most effectively through prevention rather than reaction.
“Through partnership rather than prescription, and through legitimacy grounded in public trust. It is by strengthening democracy before it falters that we secure its future,” he said.
The minister said that the meeting was apt, coming at a moment when democracy in Africa, though widely affirmed in principle, was increasingly tested in practice.
The Nigerian minister highlighted that while citizens remained committed to democratic ideals, public confidence in democratic institutions had been weakened by governance deficits, unmet socio-economic expectations and declining institutional performance.
“Democracy on the continent, therefore, must do more than survive; it must command trust through delivery.
“It was in recognition of this imperative that Nigeria, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme, launched the Regional Partnership for Democracy (RPD) in November, 2025.
“Since its launch, the initiative has generated considerable interest among Member States, multilateral institutions, and development partners, many of whom are actively engaging with Nigeria on modalities of support,” Tuggar said.
The minister stressed that Nigeria was open to additional partners because the task of renewing democratic governance in the region cannot be carried out by one country or institution alone.
“As we say in Africa, a single head cannot carry a heavy load. Democracy is a shared enterprise, and its defence and renewal require collective efforts,” he said.
Tuggar explained that RPD was conceived as a preventive rather than a curative measure, to strengthen democratic systems in advance, thereby inspiring public trust and reinforcing institutional legitimacy.
According to him, RPD enhances the capacity, independence, and credibility of democratic institutions.
“RPD seeks to avert the loss of confidence in governance systems which, if left unattended, often creates fertile ground for external interference and, ultimately, unconstitutional changes of government.
“For democracy to deliver meaningfully and sustainably, there must be a sustained focus on strengthening independent, professional, and credible institutions, particularly electoral bodies, judiciaries, legislatures, and oversight agencies.
“Democratic governance must be deliberately aligned with tangible socio-economic outcomes that directly respond to the expectations and lived realities of citizens,” he said.
According to the statement issued on Friday in Abuja by the ministry’s spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa, following the minister’s participation at the African Union Summit that the forum was organised by Nigeria on the sidelines of the ongoing AU Summit, which was attended by South African, Sierra Leonean, and Mauritanian foreign ministers, as well as diplomats, AU and UN representatives.
The statement added that the event was held on the margins of the 39th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the AU in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital city.
GIK/APA