During the High High-Level 20th Anniversary Colloquium of the African Union Peace and Security Council in Dar es Salaam in Tanzania on 25th May 2025, H.E. President Jakaya Kikwete, Former President of the United Republic of Tanzania took the floor. He had been asked to articulate his earlier quoted statement that the continent’s peace and security challenges were due to bad/poor governance. To reiterate his view, he proceeded to give examples of the role he had played, together with other Heads of State and Government, to stabilise and prevent conflict on the continent. He gave detailed examples of Zimbabwe, Burundi, and South Sudan. These details are not written anywhere, at least not in the public domain. Yet this is such a rich tapestry of the continent, and individual countries’ histories. I have no doubt other former Heads of State and Government and diplomats have similar unshared stories of the important and sometimes unseen work that has been central to strengthening and stabilising the continent.
This got me thinking: In as much as incoming Heads of State and Government should be held accountable to their election manifestos, when they leave (except by death), they should also be required to do a detailed hand over report, citing critical governance issues they presided over, and their rationale for having taken the decisions they made. These can be released to the public at specified timeframes, but at least the history will be out there for citizens to know.
The history of the continent cannot/should not disappear with the departure of individuals from office.