Launched in March 2005, Kronti ne Akwamu is CDD-Ghana’s flagship public lecture on democracy, governance, and development. It is delivered annually by a local or international public figure, scholar or practitioner whose work reflects an enduring engagement with or commitment to democracy, good governance, and inclusive development—the three, interrelated ideals that define CDD-Ghana’s mission and inform our programs. Through the Kronti ne Akwamu Lectures, we aim to elevate and invigorate the public conversation, provoke critical thought and reflection, and inspire fresh insights and perspectives on the experience, practice, and prospects of democracy, governance, and development in Ghana and Africa.
This event forms part of CDD-Ghana’s Advocacy and Campaigns to help raise awareness on critical issues (global and local), monitor, contribute to changing policy, practice and mindset, increase public accountability, mobilize political and social support for new legislation, and facilitate important conversations to promote good governance and inclusive development for both present and future generations.
This year’s lecture (17th edition) is themed “The evolution of the civic space in modern African Democracy” . It will be delivered by Ms. Idayat Hassan, Director of the Center for Democracy and Development (CDD), an Abuja based policy advocacy and research organization with a focus on deepening democracy and development in West Africa. The event will be chaired by Prof. Kwame Karikari, Dean, Communications Studies, at Wisconsin International University College. The Lecture is scheduled to take place on Tuesday November 22, 2022 at the Auditorium of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences in Accra. The time is 5:00pm.
Over the last decade, the world has witnessed a decline in democracy and the closing of civic spaces – the bedrock of democratic society through which citizens and civil society organizations are able to organize, participate and communicate without hindrance.
These two phenomena have dominated conversations on various platforms globally and have intensified since the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
Democratic backsliding and shrinking civic space in our part of the world represent a major setback for the region and its people. This lecture seeks to deliberate on these evolving issues and offer practical recommendations aimed at influencing urgent interventions that will help halt democratic backsliding and the closing of democratic civic spaces.
