Trends have changed and a new pattern is fast gaining ground in government. Every voice want to be heard, and every opinion is seeking platform to flourish.
Inclusive government establishes a pathway that carries citizens along in the governing process of a nation. This deliberate attempt by the government of the day, is aimed at recognizing the rights of citizens in governance and to harmonize opinions.
The benefits cannot be overstressed. The benefits include but are not limited to: inclusive growth, unity, peace, respect, and morale boosting among stakeholders. Africans will enjoy the benefits when certain societal paradigm are annulled.
In Africa, the wide divide between the rich and the poor in the society must be closed, if inclusive governance is to be promoted. The wide divide has succeeded in segregating the poor out of the spotlight and muted their voices as legitimate. The gulf also means that only the rich at the echelons of power, spearhead policies in their favor, with the implication of denigrating the poor.
Furthermore, the consequences of the great divide leads to a crippled economy and strained relationship between the rich and the poor.
Secondly, gender inequality has succeeded in sidelining women as participants in the day to day running of the government. For eons, women in Africa have only gained relevance as cooks and machineries for giving birth.
The government is being monopolized by the male folks based on erroneous perceptions of women in the society. This gender imbalance has muted the voices of women as potential resource in governance. In addition, relegation of women out of government implies that laws protecting the girl child are easily infringed upon. Hence, further exposing women to sex and gender based violence.
As a means of promoting inclusive governance in Africa, transparency should be used as a tool for enhancing participatory government. Transparency implies that there must be programs or structures that foster the inclusion of the underrepresented in the government process (that is: distributing equal opportunities to all without nepotism). The youth who are the future leaders, must be fully integrated in the government. This measure will allow them learn the rudiment or tenet of government from the aging class. For women to be actively involved as participant in governance, appreciable quota must be strategically reserved for women to occupy in government.
To further establish the virtue of transparency towards inclusive governance, citizens should have the right of accessing government’s administrative dealings. This open government principle, actively engages citizens as participant in government’s transactions. It also prevent accountability inadequacies in the governance processes.
Going forward, African government must make reasonable investments to the hub of their economy (small and medium scale enterprises). This is in view of reduce poverty levels in the society and rejuvenate the dying economy out of the hands of the rich. Undoubtedly, the higher the financial empowerments of the poor in the society, the better their relevance as participant in the governing process of the society.
In addition, there must be an end to residential segregation between the rich and the poor in Africa, if participatory governance is to be improved. The poor should have unrestricted access to the rich especially when opinions are being sourced for. Also, there must be a level ground for both to cohabit in any geographic location. Such measure gives relevance to the poor, improves their morale and social recognition.
Lastly, African governments must give priority to the educational sector, for improved participatory governance of their citizens. Education is a tool that not only intellectually reforms, but also socially impacts. Increased investment in the educational sector must be strategically made in other for citizens to find relevance in governance as literate: aiding national building.
With inclusive government, citizens’ voices are fully recognized as active participant in governance. Policies and decisions are made which substantially favors all and sundry. Not only does inclusive governance ensures full participation of citizens, it fosters unity in diversity amongst the populace.
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