Introduction: Contextualizing the debates on politics, governance and development

Abstract

There have been many debates on African politics, governance and development, and especially since the wave of independence that started in the late 1950s. These debates have been framed around conversations on the search for appropriate governance models that are capable of fostering socio-economic and political transformation of the continent. In attempts to contextualize these challenges, scholars have established a link between the nature of politics, economy, and governance from pre-colonial through colonial to the postcolonial periods. Although African countries have diverse experiences, they generally share a low level of development, dependence on primary exports, low level of capital and low level of infrastructure development, conflict and instability and lack of accountable governance. This chapter contextualizes the debate on politics, governance and development in Africa. It also synthesizes the various perspectives of the chapters in this volume.