Accra, Ghana//-Afrobarometer (www.Afrobarometer.org), Africa’s leading survey research organisation today launched its 25th anniversary with the unveiling of the inaugural Flagship Report on democracy and governance in Africa.
The colourful event which took place in Accra was graced by the founders, board of directors and management of Afrobarometer, partners, NGOs and other stakeholders across Africa.
Afrobarometer which began in Accra in 1999 has extended to more than 35 countries in Africa, while its data has been used by most organisations including the World Bank, governments, Mo Ibrahim Foundation, African Union, and the media.
In his welcome address, Afrobarometer CEO, Joseph Asunka said since 1999, Afrobarometer has consistently tracked the democratic and accountable governance aspirations and experiences of African citizens, among many other topics.
“Two weeks ago, exactly on July 5, we launched the Afrobarometer’s Founders Day. For those of you know there were three co-founders in 1999-Professor Gyimah-Boadi, Michael Bratton who is here with us today, and Professor Robert Martins who is not here today”.
What started as an academic project in 1999 has moved into one of the most influential and independent research projects on the continent.
“Since its conception in the late 1990s, the idea of polling African citizens seemed ridiculous and did not even feel like something that could be done. But of course, due to the perseverance of the three co-founders and the resilience of the 12 initial national partners, we pulled it off and proved the critics wrong.
Can-do spirit
Due to their can-do spirit, we continue to grow Afrobarometer across the continent. To ‘Let The People Have A Say’ which is our tagline was the driving effort behind Afrobarometer’s creation 25 years ago”, Mr Asunka told the participants of the well-attended gathering.
Looking back there is ample evidence that the network has delivered effectively on the objective of its founding fathers.
With surveys conducted in 42 countries, the data from Afrobarometer now represents the views of three-quarters of the African population.
The volume, quality, variety of the evidence generated, and the distribution and user-base insights have expanded enormously during this period. Giving voice to ordinary Africans in public policy and decision-making is the core business of Afrobarometer.
Now incorporated as an independent entity in Ghana, Afrobarometer has gained global attention as the go-to source for highly quality data on what Africans are thinking.
The growing use of Afro barometer’s data
“It is gratifying to witness the consistent and growing use of Afrobarometer’s data by various actors including governments, civil society actors, the media, students, and scholars all over the globe.
Of course, Afrobarometer’s data has been extensively by various governance measures including the Mo Ibrahim Governance Index of Africa, the World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators as well as continental projects like the Africa Peer Review Mechanism, and we are proud that we can contribute to all these governances”.
Additionally, Afrobarometer’s methodology on the continent has become a method for researchers of the continent, and this has been one of the biggest contributions of Afrobarometer to survey research on the continent to understanding the politics, governance, societies, and cultures of Africa.
Gratitude
The CEO used the occasion to pay glowing tributes to the Government of Ghana for agreeing to host Afrobarometer here as the headquarters, saying that they hope to be able to contribute to the Government of Ghana’s effort to foster regional and continental integration.
“We are also grateful to the large and growing number of governments which continue to give us the green light to conduct these surveys. Surveys sometimes ask questions that are critical of governments and responses that can be unpalatable to governments.
But we feel honoured that they continue to allow us to do these surveys because, they see value in listening to what their citizens have to say, and we are grateful to the governments for allowing us to do the surveys. Our deepest gratitude and respect of course go to our three founders through their dream has made this project possible”.
The management and staff of core and national partners especially the initial 12 countries which started this project first, we are grateful to you for your resilience and the sheer vision you had with the co-founders at the beginning, Mr Asunka said.
Many other continental bodies especially within the African Union especially the political actors Peace and Security Department, the African Government Architecture, Office of the Youth Ambassador, Africa Peer Review Mechanism, the Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC), and many others within the African Union have been excellent collaborators, and we are grateful for that.
As he takes stock and celebrates their achievements, he underscores the enormous support of their funding partners who have allowed Afrobarometer to thrive to date.
“Your continuous support and confidence have allowed us to make Afrobarometer data available free to the world and that has contributed a lot to informing decisions. And so, we are grateful to our founders.
The support has also allowed us to fill critical gaps. Data gap on the continent is a major issue but Afrobarometer data has filled that critical gap of knowing what citizens think, what they prioritise and what they hope for, and we are once again grateful to our founders”.
Appeal
He used the opportunity to appeal to those out there who see value in their work and would like to support them, they would warmly welcome them to the fold of their funding partners. Your generous support of course will go a long way to amply the voices of a lot of Africans on the continent.
Mr Asunka also encouraged individuals’ donations irrespective of the amount like $5, or $10 which they could donate through Afrobarometer’s website in any currency of their choice.
“It doesn’t have to be in the U.S. dollar domination. We will welcome that and probably next 25 years we will be celebrating our 50th anniversary and recognise the individuals who have made significant donations to Afrobarometer”.
“To the staff of Afrobarometer, this all couldn’t have been possible without you. The meticulous and resilient surveys team, the methodical and unrelenting analysis and capacity building team, the forward-thinking, and responsive members of the publications team, the fast and furious but compassionate communications team, the detailed oriented patient data team, and the diligent and empathetic and supportive secretariat team. All of these folks are the ones who make Afrobarometer what it is today. I am so grateful to them”.
Flagship report
“This year is particularly special because Afrobarometer turns 25 since our founding. So, on July 5, 1999, the surveys in Ghana kicked off as one of the first countries to be in the field. Since then, we started with the first round of the surveys of 12 countries and has since grown up to 40 plus countries today”.
The Director of Surveys at Afrobarometer, Boniface Dulani who reviewed the report said the flagship report is the first in the series of reports that they would produce annually on high-impact policy topics on the continent.
“As you know Afrobarometer covers a wide range of topics. The maiden report is dedicated to democracy and governance because that is the core of Afrobarometer’s work, looking at how democracy evolves on the continent. For subsequent years, we will begin to talk about different topics that we will cover going forward”.
Mr Dulani indicated that they hope that they will cover 42 countries this time around and surveys have just kicked off now.
Afrobarometer makes data accessible
The Chief Economist for the Africa Region at the World Bank, Andrew Dabalen who was a keynote speaker said Afrobarometer has not relented in its effort to make data easily accessible for researchers, and scholars, among others.
The launch was immediately followed by a panel discussion with Prof. Emmanuel. Gyimah-Boadi (Co-founder and Board Chair of Afrobarometer), Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr (Mayor of Freetown, Sierra Leone), Roukaya Kasanelly (Chairperson of the Electoral Institute of Sustainable Democracy in Africa), and Justice Chifundo J. Kachale (immediate past Chairperson of the Malawi Electoral Commission).
The discussion was moderated by Zeinab Badawi, international broadcaster and President of the School of Oriental and African Studies.
