NIGERIA and the United Nations (UN) have signed a new Regional Partnership for Democracy (RPD), a framework aimed at improving elections, addressing political instability and strengthening democratic institutions across West Africa.

Speaking yesterday at the signing ceremony in Abuja, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, said the initiative reflected Nigeria’s commitment to building a stable and people-driven democratic environment on the continent.
He noted that the pact was designed to help African countries to tackle persistent governance challenges, including weak institutions, limited citizen participation and rising political violence.

He explained that despite reforms at national and regional levels, several African countries still struggled with credible elections, unconstitutional government changes and growing influence of misinformation. RPD offers a home-grown response to these issues by promoting democracy rooted in African values.

The minister described the RPD as President Bola Tinubu‘s contribution to strengthening democracy on the continent.

Tuggar confirmed that the RPD Secretariat would operate from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while its technical team would be based at the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office in Abuja. He added that although Nigeria and the UN were the first signatories, the pact was open to all West African countries and would eventually extend to other regions of Africa seeking sustainable democratic solutions.