Sustaining Security in Africa through Good Governance

At the 17th Security Watch Africa Initiative, the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Emmanuel Udom posited that the panacea for insecurity is ‘Sustaining Security in Africa through Good Governance’. Elucidating, he shared the Akwa Ibom experience. Chiemelie Ezeobi reports 

“Economic security is the best foundation for human security. The best way to stop crime is to beef up the economy, where people can make a decent living from honest means.”

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The above statement was made by Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Emmanuel Udom in his lecture at the recently held 17th Security Watch Africa Initiative (SWAI) annual conference and award ceremony at the Sir Dawda Jawara International Conference Centre, Banjul, The Gambia, the smiling coast of Africa

Held from November 9–11, 2022, the  theme of this year’s conference was “Post-COVID-19: Sustaining Security in Africa.”

Import of Good Governance 

In his lecture titled “Sustaining Security in Africa Through Good Governance: Panacea Against Insecurity,” Governor Edom said: “Societies can only fly to freedom on the twin wings of security and good governance.

“Good governance, according to the Council of Europe, is the responsible conduct of public affairs and management of public resources. The Council holds that twelve principles underpin good governance. 

“These are: fair conduct of elections, representation, and participation; responsiveness; efficiency and effectiveness; openness and transparency; rule of law; ethical conduct; competence and capacity; innovation and openness to change; sustainability and long-term orientation; sound financial management; human rights, culture, diversity, and social cohesion; and accountability”, the governor said. 

In the same vein, quoting the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, the governor stated that governance is the provision of political, social, and economic public goods and services that all citizens rightfully expect from their government and that a government responsibly delivers to its citizens.

Expatiating, he said two things should guide an honest assessment of our political situation- “a consideration of both our inner scorecard and our outer scorecard”.

Good Governance Template 

He added that with respect to our inner scorecard, “the Ibrahim Index of Good Governance provides us with a template. 

“The key assessment areas of this template are security and the rule of law; participation, rights, and inclusion; foundations for economic opportunity; and human development.

When subjected to this test, most African countries perform very poorly. Our outer score card which has to do with how the world sees us is not any better.”

Eradicating Poverty, Promoting Development 

According to Udom, former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan once rightly said that “Good governance is perhaps the single most important factor in eradicating poverty and promoting development.” 

He further posited that “it should be noted that affluent societies do not have security challenges like poor societies do. To eradicate or tame the hydra-headed monster of insecurity, we need to eradicate and tame poverty through good governance. 

“Therefore, addressing the issue of poverty is not just a matter of doing the right thing – it is a matter of meeting an obligation to ensure security at home and abroad. “

Africa’s Importance in Global Security 

Emphasising Africa’s importance in global security, which he said cannot be overstressed, African countries represent about sixteen percent of the world’s population. 

He said: “African countries currently hold the second-largest number of seats in the United Nations Security Council. Africa has the largest, most unified bloc in the United Nations General Assembly. 

So, the world cannot afford to ignore Africa but we do not have a veto vote at both the Security Council and general council. At the same time, Africa should look inwards. 

“We still have some distance to cover. Many African countries are yet to undertake the kind of reforms that would checkmate abuse of power, stop corruption, and reverse economic decline.

“The Nigerian case is worth a second glance. When the world made the transition from cash transactions to wire transactions through credit cards and wire transfers, Nigeria witnessed an upsurge in insecurity. 

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