Mo Ibrahim Warns African Leaders Are Increasingly Embracing Authoritarian Rule

LONDON — Democracy, human rights and public participation in governance are declining across Africa as some of the continent’s leaders take inspiration from the rise of strongmen elsewhere in the world, billionaire philanthropist Mo Ibrahim said.

Ibrahim, an 80-year-old Sudanese-born British citizen, made the remarks in an interview with Agence France-Presse (AFP) discussing the latest report by his Mo Ibrahim Foundation, which assessed governance across African countries over the past decade.

The report found improvements in economic opportunities and social development but significant deterioration in security, human rights and public participation in decision-making.

Ibrahim expressed concern over elections held in Tanzania and Uganda over the past year. In Tanzania, security forces have been accused of killing thousands of protesters, while in Uganda, security personnel attacked opposition leader Bobi Wine, who Ibrahim said had been pursued and physically assaulted.

"It is a huge shame," Ibrahim said, referring to the situations in the two countries.

According to the report, 30 African countries, home to half of the continent's population, recorded better governance scores in 2025 than in 2016, largely driven by economic progress. However, 23 countries experienced declines, while one recorded no change.

Ibrahim said the deterioration in rights and freedoms across Africa was partly linked to the weakening of liberal democracy globally, including in the United States, Europe and Russia.

"We are in a strange time, and we can see the rise of strongmen everywhere," he said.

He warned that African leaders could interpret the growing concentration of power in other parts of the world as a signal that they, too, could centralize authority without facing serious consequences.

Ibrahim also criticized the foreign policy of U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, saying Washington had shifted toward a transactional approach to diplomacy that undermined the international order and respect for the rule of law.

The foundation's report found that seven of the 10 countries with the sharpest declines in governance had experienced at least one military coup over the past decade.

Burkina Faso recorded the steepest deterioration, while Nigeria, Sudan and Tunisia were also among the countries whose governance performance worsened.

Commenting on the U.S. decision last year to dismantle the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and cut funding that had supported programmes across Africa, Ibrahim described the move as particularly difficult.

He said Washington had the right to decide how it spent its aid budget but argued that African countries should have been given time to prepare for the withdrawal of assistance.

Ibrahim called on African governments to become more self-reliant while building partnerships with any countries willing to cooperate, including those in Europe, China and India.

He said the continent's future depended largely on its young population, which now accounts for more than 60% of Africa's people.

By 2050, one in every three young people worldwide is expected to be African, according to projections cited in the report.

Ibrahim said the younger generation was better informed and more educated than previous generations, expressing hope that it could help address the continent's governance challenges.

"I admit that my generation missed many opportunities for Africa," he said.

GAROWE ONLINE