Public good and the crises of service delivery in africa

Abstract

This chapter interrogates the relationship between public good and service delivery in African states. It traces the crisis of service delivery to several sources. These include the trauma of military rule, avoidable wars and one-party rule in many African states; together with the ascendancy of kleptocratic regimes and the return of Africa’s erstwhile colonialists under various guises to rape the continent a second time, often through the instrumentalities of international institutions. The chapter argues that the state cannot abandon its responsibilities to profit-oriented private institutions that cannot comprehend the supra-value of the public interest. It makes a case for the African state to rise from its slumber and awaken to its responsibility to provide services and build public infrastructure for its citizens.