The latest Afrobarometer report has revealed that Africans are showing increasing support for multiparty democracy even though both ruling and opposition parties still struggle to gain the trust of the people.

Afrobarometer Executive Director, Prof E. Gyimah-Boadi who made this revelation at the Consultative Workshop of the Department of Political Affairs of the African Union Commission’s Political Party Program in Accra said Political parties are an essential element of a well-functioning democracy but earning popular trust remains a challenge.

According to a statement released by the Afrobarometer team, “A majority (56%) of Africans say they “feel close to” a political party in their country. Across 16 countries tracked since 2002, this proportion increased by 7 percentage points between 2002 and 2015”.

It also mentions that “Almost two-thirds (63%) of Africans endorse multiparty competition as essential to give citizens choices in who governs them. North Africa is the only sub-region where fewer than half (49%) of citizens hold this view”.

Find the full statement below