Democratic consolidation in Ghana and Nigeria : understanding the role of the political elites.

Abstract

Despite several approaches to the study of democratic consolidation, launching democracy consolidation in consociational democracies has been considered problematic due to the fragmented nature of such societies which is not conducive to democratic stability. Notwithstanding the logjams confronting democracy consolidation in divided countries, this thesis considers an alternative approach through which the consolidation of democracy can be attained in Africa, particularly in Ghana and Nigeria.

The choice to compare Ghana and Nigeria emanates from their histories and geographical locations. The two countries are from the West African continent; both are British government colonies, had histories of long military regimes cum counter coups, had various ethnic groups and had their independence almost at the same in 1958 and 1960 respectively. While the political elites in the two countries don’t differ in their coherence, their area of difference on democratic consolidation is inherent in elite commitment to democracy.