The results of the freedom and democracy indexes last year already hinted at what 2026 would look like for us at The Liberalist.
Over the last decade, the number of Africans living in unfree countries has doubled. Last year also ended with sporadic coup attempts and, in some cases, successful military takeovers across the continent. These are reminders that freedom in Africa is becoming more fragile, and in some places, easier to lose than to defend.
Against this backdrop, 2026 will be a year of continued commitment to publishing pro-freedom stories as they unfold across the continent. But before we look ahead, let’s pause and reflect on 2025.
The Liberalist in 2025
Last year marked a historic milestone in The Liberalist’s journey. We published the first Issue of The Liberalist Africa in two volumes, launched a print edition at the Conference of Freedom Advocates in Abuja, and later made the digital copy available for download on our website.
Throughout the year, we published 130 articles. While this number may seem small compared to what traditional media organisations produce, The Liberalist is a niche publication. Our focus has always been narrow: telling pro-freedom stories in an environment where such ideas are often unpopular and misunderstood.
By the end of 2025, we had achieved more than we anticipated.
But success, as human nature dictates, comes with responsibility. And in 2026, we are choosing to carry that responsibility more deliberately.
Our Focus in 2026
This year, The Liberalist will be more intentional about humanising pro-freedom stories than ever before.
Too often, freedom is elucidated in indexes, policies, and political decisions. While these are important, they rarely capture what freedom, or the absence of it, actually feels like. In 2026, our work will move closer to the people living these realities every day.
We will tell the stories of citizens whose lives are shaped by policy choices they did not make. Like an entrepreneur slowed down by needless regulation or young Africans whose ambitions are quietly limited by laws.
But we will also continue to publish analyses to interrogate ideas, laws, and policies across the continent. We will publish to inform about what is happening now and what the consequences will be in the future, based on available evidence.
Just as we have done in the past, this year again, The Liberalist will remain a space for difficult questions and objective answers.
