Across Sub-Saharan Africa, freedom of speech on political matters or criticism of ruling powers can lead to imprisonment or even death. Over the past decades, numerous governments have shifted toward autocratic rule, suppressing dissenting voices, stifling elections where they exist, and rendering democratic practices nearly impossible.
the decline of democracy in africa
Out of 55 African nations, about ten are classified as closed autocracies, while 26 are electoral autocracies, according to the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute. This erosion of democratic values is documented in the 2026 V-Dem report on global democracy, which states:
The average citizen in the world today faces a level of democracy last seen in 1978. The institute, based at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, adds: The gains of the