Leadership, Corruption, and Africa’s Economic Paralysis

Across Africa, long serving leaders manipulate constitutions and institutions to remain in power fueling corruption, stifling growth, and testing democratic resilience amid shifting geopolitical pressures and rising public discontent.

The Leverage of Power Over Policy

Across large swathes of Africa, the presidency has become less an institution of public service and more a fortress of personal preservation. From Kinshasa to Yaoundé, long-serving leaders continue to entrench themselves through constitutional amendments, electoral manipulation, and elite patronage, undermining democratic norms and stifling economic transformation.

This leadership sclerosis stands in stark contrast to a continent teeming with youthful energy, rising urbanisation, and an increasingly vocal civil society. According to the Mo Ibrahim Foundation’s 2024 Governance Index, more than 12 African countries have seen “significant backsliding” in democratic accountability over the past decade. The pattern is not accidental, it is institutional.

“Power in Africa is not given; it is hoarded, traded, and inherited like a family asset,” says Adeola Akinola, Chief Risk Officer at a Lagos-based financial advisory firm. “This is a governance challenge with fiscal and social consequences.”

A Cross-Continental Pattern of Constitutional Evasion

Despite the African Union’s 2012 Charter on Democracy, Elections, and Governance, enforcement remains toothless. Between 2020 and 2024, at least nine African leaders sought constitutional revisions or extensions to prolong their tenure. Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, in power since 1986, has already removed age and term limits. In Rwanda, Paul Kagame is positioned to rule until 2034. In Cameroon, Paul Biya, now 91 years old, continues to preside over a hollowed-out state apparatus, with limited checks and balances.

Even in countries where democratic transitions have occurred, progress is fragile. Gabon’s 2023 military-led transition following President Ali Bongo’s re-election sparked renewed questions around dynastic rule. Similarly, Zimbabwe’s post-Mugabe trajectory under Emmerson Mnangagwa reveals that a change in leadership does not always mean reform.

The Economic Costs of Leadership Longevity

The damage extends beyond governance. Corruption and capital flight are the natural companions of entrenched rule. In Angola, the Dos Santos family allegedly diverted over $1 billion from state enterprises. In Equatorial Guinea, President Teodoro Obiang’s regime has presided over one of the world’s most unequal economies, oil-rich, yet with over half the population lacking access to clean water.

“When institutions are built around a person rather than a system, the economy becomes hostage to politics,” explains Dr. Abdoul Salam Bello, IMF Senior African Advisor.

Citizens, Not Just Leaders, Hold the Line

While authoritarianism is often blamed solely on those at the top, the base has its role. In many countries, voter apathy, politicised ethnicity, and elite manipulation of tribal allegiances continue to undermine accountability.

“We can’t ignore the complicity of the electorate fragmented opposition, low civic education, and ‘stomach infrastructure’ politics continue to reward incumbency,” says Chipo Ndlovu, Director at the Southern Africa Institute for Governance.

Social media movements like #EndSARS in Nigeria or #ShutItAllDown in Namibia reveal growing resistance, particularly among Africa’s demographic majority, youth under 30. However, online mobilisation rarely translates to electoral change without institutional support and civic education.

China, the West, and the Realpolitik of Influence.

Africa’s democratic struggle does not occur in a vacuum. External actors have played enabling and at times, contradictory roles. China’s model of non-interference and infrastructure-for-resources diplomacy has been welcomed by many long-serving African leaders seeking capital without democratic strings attached.

In contrast, Western aid often comes with conditionalities around governance reforms, but these are inconsistently enforced. The 2023 U.S. Africa Leaders Summit reaffirmed democratic norms, yet bilateral security arrangements continue with authoritarian regimes in Ethiopia, Egypt, and Chad.

“The West lectures while China lends. In the end, African elites choose what sustains them,” notes Dr. Nanjala Nyabola, political analyst and author of Digital Democracy, Analogue Politics.

Incentivising Good Leadership

Since 2007, the Mo Ibrahim Prize for African Leadership, offering $5 million over 10 years, has only been awarded seven times. The reason? Few leaders qualify. The prize requires both democratic transition and exemplary governance, a tall order in a political landscape shaped by rent-seeking and patronage.

“We set the bar high because Africa deserves better,” said Salim Ahmed Salim, chair of the Prize Committee, during the 2023 awards forum in Kigali. “But we are alarmed at how rare integrity in power has become.”

Hope in Transition: Lessons from Success Stories

Despite bleak trends, some African nations offer hopeful counterpoints. Ghana, Botswana, Senegal (after the 2024 peaceful transfer of power to Bassirou Diomaye Faye), and Zambia showcase how institutional resilience and civic activism can drive democratic accountability.

“Senegal’s recent election proves democracy is not alien to Africa it’s merely inconvenient to autocrats,” argues Professor Ayisha Osori, legal scholar and governance expert.

Investor Risk, Political Risk

For global investors and multilateral partners, Africa’s term-limit crisis presents layered risks: policy unpredictability, weak rule of law, and social instability. The World Bank’s 2025 Africa Risk Outlook flags “political tenure volatility” as a top-tier concern affecting investor appetite in 14 African economies.

“When leadership turns permanent, markets lose confidence in policy continuity,” says Edward Zimbalist, Head of Emerging Markets at HSBC Africa. “Boards are wary of placing long-term capital where governance is short-term and arbitrary.”

An Unfinished Reckoning

Africa’s governance crisis is not just a political story; it is a market, development, and generational tale. Leadership longevity, when decoupled from accountability, distorts economic trajectories, weakens institutions, and alienates the continent’s most vital asset, its youth.

Whether this dynamic continues or is finally overturned will depend not just on elections, but on laws that are enforced, institutions that outlast personalities, and citizens who refuse to look away.

“Africa doesn’t need strong men it needs strong systems,” echoes Mo Ibrahim. “Leadership is not about staying it’s about serving.”