The second International Conference on Democratic Governance in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East kicked off today in Kigali, attracting hundreds of participants, including scholar, from across the world. Organised by Rwanda Governance Board (RGB), the United Nations and Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, the three-day conference aims at exploring constraints to good governance as well as emerging opportunities of democratic governance. Key speakers will include the Minister for Local Governance, James Musoni; the UN Resident Coordinator, Lamin Maneh; the Chief of Staff of Cheyney University, Sheilah Vance; Jendayi Fraser, the former US under Secretary of State for African Affairs, among others. “Good governance is becoming more and more of a commonplace as a key element of development. In fact, the success of development is dependent on good governance which is often equated to democratic governance,” Anastase Shyaka, CEO, RGB, said. He added: “The purpose of this conference is to bring together an international group of scholars and practitioners from diverse disciplines to collectively explore the multiple facets of the problems and emerging opportunities of democratic governance around the world.” Among the themes to be discussed include; the role of participatory forms of public governance, poverty and governance, role of the media in democratic reforms, and the Arab Spring and its effects to democracy in Northern Africa. The first International Conference on Democratic Governance in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East was held in Philadelphia, US, in 2012. ivan.mugisha@newtimes.co.rw
