In partnership with the government of Zambia, the Africa Union’s Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC), the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), Ford Foundation and other partners, side events were organized starting on 27th March. The meeting brought together state and non-state actors, including the African continent’s private sector, to tackle the continent’s critical policy issues.

On March 29-30, 2023, the United States co-hosted the second Summit for Democracy with the governments of Costa Rica, the Netherlands, the Republic of Korea, and the Republic of Zambia. The second Summit for Democracy assembled world leaders in a virtual, plenary format, followed by in-person gatherings in each of the co-hosted countries.

The summit builds on the strides made at the first Summit for Democracy held in the United States in December 2021, highlighting how democracies deliver for their citizens and are best equipped to address the world’s most pressing challenges. This summit also presents an opportunity to follow up on the over 750 commitments to advance democracy, fight corruption, and counter authoritarianism at the previous summit. This summit also comes at a time when many African countries have just concluded or are preparing for their presidential and parliamentary elections in 2023.

The summit was able to amplify African voices on key development and governance issues that have a bearing on democracy on the continent. It aims to reflect on what ‘Democracy’ in Africa is and what a functional democracy looks like in an African context.