Africa, particularly Sub-Saharan Africa is currently undergoing deep mutations: GDP is growing fast, the well-educated diaspora is coming back at an impressive pace, structural integration projects are popping here and there, populations have become more aware of their rights thanks to social media, and many more changes I won’t be able to exhaustively cite here.
From its image of the continent of despair, Africa has definitely become the continent of hope, despite the current challenges.
However, for this rejuvenated optimism to come to fruition and become a reality, African leaders, particularly African People need to rethink their mode of governance, by applying a corporate-like diagnostic, a kind of SWOT analysis, identify weaknesses that have plagued its development, and come up with genuine models of development.
The main issue I’d like to discuss about is the governance, the political system in Sub-Saharan countries.
This discussion is much needed now, especially since there will soon be a constitutional referendum in my country, Cote d’Ivoire, and this change of constitution is supposed to put the basis for a stable, strong, prosperous and emerging nation.
My contribution today is about the directorial system of governance, a system that is not much known to people, in comparison to the Parliamentary and Presidential ones.
Before I start, I’d like first to ask you a question. Which (European) country in the world describes the most those words: Peace, Stability, Neutrality, Money, Tiny…. ?
I guess most of you guessed right: Switzerland
Switzerland is the sole country now using the model of governance called Directorial system. A directorial system is a mode of governance where directories rule all levels of administration, federal, cantonal and municipal. According to Wikipedia: ‘The Swiss Federal Council is elected by the Parliament for four years (its members cannot be dismissed), and is composed of seven members, among whom one is President and one is Vice-President, although these are relatively symbolic. There is no relationship of confidence between Parliament and the Federal Council. It is a shared system of government that reflects and represents the heterogeneity and multiethnicity of the Swiss people. Direct popular elections are used at the local level.”
Enough said… Focusing on the terms heterogeneity and multiethinicity, we automatically guess how this country has been able to maintain stability, despite diverse ethnic groups of Germans, French, Italian, Romansh for so long.
Although this system is rare, it definitely appears as a viable alternative for African countries. I’d like to focus on three main benefits a directorial system might bring to our nations:
- Stability: A system in which the majority of the parties assume the executive power, undoubtedly leads to an environment in which consensus has to be the core virtue. The main issue with African countries nowadays is that the frontiers inherited from the Berlin conference in 1884-1885 created micro nations made most of the time of minority ethnical groups, fighting to assume the supreme power through their champions. A directorial system removes a big part of this risk by giving a voice to every ethnic group, by the effective involvement of their representatives in the management of the state affairs.Stability is the basis of all economic development, and any investor would like to have a long-term clarity about its investments, not just 4, 7 or even 10 years…
- Consensus: Unless a party gets a quasi majority of votes, it will have to work with the other ones for the sake of the nation. Also, Africa is singular in the fact that in contrary to left/center/Right cleavages in Europe, or Left/Right in the US, let’s have the courage to recognize that on our continent, those liberal or socialist ideologies don’t mean that much for the average citizen nowadays. Whether one supports a party from the left or the right, Africans want their basic needs to be fulfilled: They need a good health system, a good education for their kids, good infrastructures, stable and fulfilling jobs, security, a stable and peaceful environment spurring creativity and growth… Only the union of all the nation’s competences can help achieve such a feat.
- Self-governance: In a directorial system, the central government is responsible for the overall management and coordination of the country’s development strategy; the core of the job is therefore being done by the regions, provinces or districts, in charge of education, urban security, healthcare. This implies that those regions’ competences, who usually fight for executive power in parliamentary or presidential systems, will more likely put their competences first for the development of their regions. This system of governance would solve the issue most federal countries in Africa face in terms of wealth distribution by the central government.
In conclusion, Africa needs countries with a political system guaranteeing stability, consensus, and self-governance. A directorial government appears as a viable solution to the feverishness surrounding election periods. Such a bold move in the way people designate their representatives would require both bold and visionary leaders, and also people yearning for the best of what life can provide…