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PRESS RELEASE: Launch of the Playbook for African Democrats
The South-African based Brenthurst Foundation has launched the online publication ‘Playbook for African Democrats’ to help African leaders advance democracy as the continent’s tyrants continue to undermine accountability.
An initiative of the Platform for African Democrats (PAD), which was hosted in Cape Town in 2024 by The Brenthurst Foundation, the World Liberty Congress and the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, it includes chapters on how to win elections and counteract rigging by malign forces.
With sections written by veteran opposition leaders such as Uganda’s Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (Bobi Wine), Angola’s Adalberto Costa Júnior, Nigeria’s Peter Obi and Zimbabwe’s Tendai Biti, the playbook seeks to invigorate democratic competition and improve accountability on the continent.
Writing in the Forword, Ssentamu said “For leaders such as Museveni the desire to retain power dictates their every action. The toolkit at their disposal, which includes vote rigging, is not only effective, but it is also transferable; it will continue to change hands from one authoritarian to the next. This is why this Playbook from The Brenthurst Foundation is vital for democratic opposition parties to utilise to create effective change across the continent.”
Adalberto Costa Junior, president of UNITA in Angola, writes “It [democracy] is what most Africans want and it is the only path to accelerating badly needed growth and economic inclusion. This playbook outlines how to get there.”
Peter Obi of the Labour Party in Nigeria writes: “There are no shortcuts. Ensuring best practices in running election campaigns is a critical element of the answer to Africa's democratic challenge. The alternative – stumbling on in poverty and failure – carries a high cost in damaged lives and lost opportunities. This vibrant playbook is a roadmap to African political renewal. Read it, and learn.”
Dr Greg Mills of the Brenthurst Foundation summarises the importance of the book: “Africa's best hope lies in competitive democracy, accountable governance and economic growth. This book is all about how to make elections competitive, firing up democracy and taking the continent forward.”
Professor Nic Cheeseman, professor of democracy at the University of Birmingham, Dr Paula Cristina Roque and Leopoldo Lopez of the World Liberty Congress all contributed extensively to the book.
The book is available for free and can be read or downloaded in PDF format here. It is available in English, Portuguese and French.
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Note to editors:
About the Brenthurst Foundation:
The Brenthurst Foundation is on the frontier of new ideas and innovative actions for strengthening Africa’s economic performance. Our activities are focused in three areas: encouraging key decision-makers and experts to share experiences and insights at private meetings and seminars; delivering relevant, practical policy advice to governments; and generating new thinking and thought leadership to address Africa’s development challenges.
For further information please see: www.thebrenthurstfoundation.org
For all media enquiries please contact media@thebrenthurstfoundation.org
