President John Dramani Mahama has cautioned that judicial independence and democratic governance are under increasing threat worldwide, as executive interference deepens and civil liberties face growing restrictions.
Speaking at the opening of the 2026 Judicial Year and the 20th anniversary of the African Courts on human and peoples’ rights in Arusha, the President said institutions once regarded as global symbols of democracy, justice, and the rule of law are experiencing a worrying decline.
Addressing dignitaries and members of the legal fraternity, President Mahama highlighted how interconnected the world has become, using the COVID-19 pandemic as a stark example.
“Technological advances have made the world feel like a small place. At no other time in our lifetime was that more evident than during the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.
He noted that by the time the World Health Organisation announced the discovery of a new virus in Wuhan, China, it had already spread across continents, including Africa.
“By the time the World Health Organisation announced the discovery of a new virus in Wuhan, China, that virus was already on an aeroplane to Johannesburg. It was already present in Accra,” he stated, underscoring the speed at which global developments now affect local realities.
However, beyond the pandemic, the President turned his focus to what he described as a troubling global political trend. He argued that countries traditionally viewed as champions of democracy and human rights are now facing internal democratic backsliding.
“If you look beyond Africa, what you find is that the facade 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 said.
President Mahama pointed to what he described as growing executive overreach, weakened legislative independence and violations of international law in some parts of the world.
“Judiciaries are no longer independent. Citizens and lawful residents are being disappeared by mass law enforcement and then placed without due process indefinitely in detention centres. We see executive overreach and a steady weakening of legislative independence. We see violations of international law,” he said.
He further warned of increasing restrictions on freedom of speech, assembly and protest, as well as a general erosion of civil liberties.
“There’s a general loss of liberties and a sharp decline in public trust in governments,” he added.
Quoting Tanzania’s founding leader, Julius Nyerere, President Mahama reminded African leaders and institutions not to measure their progress by flawed external standards.
“Mwalimu Julius Nyerere famously said, ‘One does not judge one’s state of health by comparing oneself to a sick person.’”
He noted that for too long, African nations have compared themselves to Western democracies and adopted their standards as benchmarks.
“For far too long, we’ve compared ourselves to the West and used what we believe were their standards as our benchmarks for all our endeavours. The reality we see today should serve as a clear call to action,” he said.
