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Virtual Conference on Money in Politics in Africa

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Alliance for Finance Monitoring (ACFIM), the Pan-African political finance watchdog, is organising the annual Money in Politics in Africa Conference to bring together like minded organisations across the continent in response to the threat posed by monetisation and commercialisation of elective politics. It will be conducted virtually.

Africa is currently experiencing an epidemic of monetised and commercialised elective politics which is a threat multiplier of democratic backsliding. Unregulated money in elections is further raising the stakes and turning electoral races into violent political battles many African countries. When money becomes the main motivator for political socialisation and determinant of electoral outcomes, it defeats the democratic principle of elections reflecting the will of the people as they become a reflection of the power of money.

Unfortunately, the legal and institutional framework for campaign financing in most African countries is either very weak or non-existent. In Kenya, Nigeria, Madagascar and Tanzania, progressive laws have been enacted, the issue is reluctance to implement them. Additionally, there is a lack of a vibrant continental coalition of citizen observers advocating for transparency in political financing.

The conference is broken into 6 sub-themes comprising of:

  1. The role of money in politics in Africa.
  2. Overview of the legal and institutional framework for campaign financing in Africa: Experiences in enforcing campaign finance laws in Kenya, Nigeria and Madagascar: issues and challenges.
  3. The increasing cost of elective politics in Africa: Experiences from Gambia, Ghana, Cote D’Ivoire.
  4. Campaign finance and the participation of women and youth in African elections as candidates.
  5. Financing political parties in Africa: The nexus between campaign finance and political corruption.
  6. Strengthening campaign finance oversight: the role of Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs) / Political Finance Regulators (PFRs), political parties, civil society and the media.

For more information: https://acfim.org/