Researchers of Afrobarometer’s flagship report on democratic trends in Africa say the latest findings pointing to decline in support for democracy and in increase in support for military rule should be a wake-up call to leaders in Africa to pay more attention to the needs of the people.

The report, the first in what will be an annual series on high-priority topics, distils findings from data spanning more than a decade, including the latest round of nationally representative surveys in 39 African countries, representing the views of more than three-fourths of the continent’s population.

Speaking on the sidelines of the launch of the report in Accra, Director of Surveys at Afrobarometer, Boniface Dulani argued that leaders in Africa must ensure that citizens get value for voting them into office.