A documentary on the life and work of Professor Emmanuel Gyimah-Boadi, the co-founder and former Executive Director of the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), was on Tuesday premiered in Accra by CDD-Ghana and Afrobarometer.
It also highlighted the contributions made by Prof. Gyimah-Boadi to democracy and governance in Ghana and beyond.
The launch and premiering of the documentary dubbed, “Democracy Influencer,” featured a panel discussion session, which was moderated by the Board Chair of CDD-Ghana, Professor Audrey Gadzekpo, and had Professor Abdoul Karim Saidou, a lecturer at Thomas Sankara University, Burkina Faso and Professor Emerita Takyiwaa Manuh, a Senior Fellow, CDD-Ghana, as panellists.
Prof. Gyimah-Boadi expressed gratitude to individuals who had helped him in diverse ways in the establishment of CDD-Ghana.
According to him, the various talents in various fields that he associated himself with and the timing of the establishment of CDD-Ghana, especially, during a period where Ghana was transitioning from military to democratic governance, played a critical role in its success.
“I have been lucky in the hands of people that I have worked with. Talented people who were always contributing immensely to both my technical and social learning. I have also been lucky to have positive results in most of the things that I do, and I am wherefore grateful for that,” Prof. Gyimah-Boadi said.
“Also, I am a product of good timing. You talk of the late 90’s at a time when CDD-Ghana was established. That was the most difficult time in Ghana. Those who had tried to do the kind of work I came to do later on have had to suffer imprisonment and had to go into exile,” Prof. Gyimah-Boadi added.
For her part, Prof. Emerita Manuh said it was important for the factors that consolidated democracy, especially on the African continent such as the commitment rule of law, free and fair elections, robust civil society organisations, and a well functioning political system to be strengthened.
She said that although Africa had made some progress with regards to the consolidation of democracy on the continent, a lot more was needed to be done to ensure that the consolidation was a complete one, as she bemoaned the rise in military rule in some African countries in recent times.
Furthermore, Prof. Emerita Manuh encouraged CSOs to build their capacity through training workshops to keep governments across the African continent on their toes.
Prof. Saidou said that democratic system of governance remained the most preferred governance system among Africans, despite the rise in military governance, hence the need to consolidate it.
He urged CSOs to reach out to people in the grassroots and informal sector and always maintain dialogue with political authorities in their operations.
Additionally, Prof. Saidou called on the African continent to rethink its regional response to security issues and also include traditional values in its democracy.
BY BENJAMIN ARCTON-TETTEY