President John Dramani Mahama has urged African countries to stop measuring their development against Western nations, pointing to what he described as mounting political and social crises in the so-called Global North.
He made the remarks on Monday, 2 March, during the opening of the 2026 judicial year of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights in Arusha, Tanzania.
Addressing jurists, diplomats and civil society representatives, President Mahama said several countries long perceived as global models of democracy, justice and human rights are experiencing troubling setbacks in governance.
“If you look beyond Africa, what you’ll find is that the façade of the so-called Global North, a group of countries that have long held themselves up as beacons of democracy and human rights, of liberty, justice, and the rule of law, is fast crumbling,” he stated.
Concerns Over Governance Standards
The President cited what he described as weakening judicial independence, arbitrary detention of citizens and lawful residents without due process, executive overreach, and growing restrictions on freedoms of speech, assembly and protest.
According to him, these trends have contributed to an erosion of civil liberties and declining public trust in state institutions.
Drawing inspiration from Julius K. Nyerere, Tanzania’s founding father, President Mahama quoted: “One does not judge one’s state of health by comparing it to a sick person.”
A Call for a New Paradigm
He argued that African nations have for too long relied on Western standards as the primary benchmark for assessing their own progress.
“For far too long, we have compared ourselves to the West and used what we believed were their standards as benchmarks for our endeavours,” he said.
President Mahama added that recent global developments should prompt Africa to rethink its framework for engagement with the world, while preserving its dignity and cultural identity.
He challenged African leaders and institutions to define their own paradigm for governance and development, grounded in the continent’s values and aspirations rather than external validation.
