CDD-Ghana to launch Afrobarometer on eve of AU Day

Accra, May 14, GNA - The Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) on Thursday line-up a programme of advocacy by civil society organizations across the continent to herald the African Union Day on May 25.

The programmes includes a global release of the report in Accra, Kampala and Cape Town on May 22 of the latest results of the fourth round AfroBarometer Surveys conducted in 19 countries between March and December 2008.

The global release will also highlight on the evolution of African Political regimes between 1999 and 2009 with particular emphasis on progress toward democratic consolidation. Professor Emmanuel Gyimah-Boadi, Executive Director of CDD Ghana stated in Accra during a strategic meeting with senior journalists to foster partnership with the media for advancement of the tenets of the survey.

The Afrobarometer is an independent, non-partisan research project that measures the social, political, and economic atmosphere in Africa with standard set of questions for all countries to create a systematic ground for comparism.

Prof Gyimah-Boadi said through the survey, trends in public attitudes were tracked over time.."Results are shared with decision makers, policy advocates, civic educators, journalists, researchers, donors and investors, as well as average Africans who wish to become more informed and active citizens". He said each Afrobarometer survey collected data about individual attitudes and behaviour, including innovative indicators especially relevant to developing societies.

The latest survey focuses on democracy, governance, livelihoods, macro-economics and markets, social capital, conflict and crime, citizens' participation and national identity. According to Afrobarometer indicators, Round one survey was conducted from July 1999 through June 2001 in 12 countries; Round two, from May 2002 through October 2003 in 15 countries while Round three surveys were conducted in 18 countries from March 2005 through February 2006.

Participat ing countries includes; Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. 14 May 09