DIGITILIZATION AND PROSPECT OF DEMOCRACY IN AFRICA.

Abstract

The end of critical period of Cold War in the late 1990s paved the way for democratic agenda in Africa. The study seeks to examines the impact of adoption of technology in democratic transformation in Africa. The study posits that technology is unavoidably essential in ensuring a sustainable democratic structure, as digital technologies have had huge impact on governance around the globe which has made the world a global village. It argues that, the internet networking possibilities are creating many opportunities for the people to be actively participants in democracy. The study, establishes that, there is increase access to communication technologies which has made it easier for citizens to be politically sensitized and deeply involved in public discourse. To interrogate the discourse, the study adopts Democratic Theory and uses secondary sources to gather the relevant information. It concludes that, the technology provides a platform for citizens to exercise their franchise, which often strengthen the evolving democratic values in African countries. In view of the positive impact of technology in engendering well entrenched democratic values and effective structure, the study recommends that, the African leaders urgently need to address some challenges which often threaten the visibility of technology in the conduct of elections, particularly insecurity, falsification of data and manipulation of electoral machines.