Nation-building in Africa


Book Description




Statecraft and Nation Building in Africa


Book Description

This is a study of statecraft and nation building in Africa in the post-colonial era. Subjects covered include early years of independence, state legitimacy, constitutional primacy, institutional transformation, autocracy, quest for democracy, national integration, consolidation of the state, and others. It focuses on case studies whose relevance is continental in scope.




State Building and National Identity Reconstruction in the Horn of Africa


Book Description

This book examines post-secession and post-transition state building in Somaliland, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan. It explores two intimately linked, yet analytically distinct themes: state building and national identity reconstruction following secession and collapse. In Somaliland and South Sudan, rearranging the state requires a complete metamorphosis of state institutions so that they respond to the needs and interests of the people. In Sudan and Somalia, the reconfiguration of the remains of the state must address a new reality and demands on the ground. All four cases examined, although highly variable, involve conflict. Conflict defines the scope, depth and momentum of the state building and state reconstruction process. It also determines the contours and parameters of the projects to reconstitute national identity and rebuild a nation. Addressing the contested identity formation and its direct relation to state building would therefore go a long way in mitigating conflicts and state crisis.










Nation Building and Development Assistance in Africa


Book Description

Sub-Saharan Africa seems to be forgotten in the post-cold war era. But Kaoru Ishikawa's analysis of Africa's history and its political and economic development suggests that a brighter future is in prospect for the nations of Africa. The African nations hosted dynamic societies prior to the slave trade era, and many of the obstacles to their future prosperity and dynamism have been removed. The focus of the book is on how African countries and the international community beyond Africa can work together to realize this potential and build on recent improvements, notably in health and the position of women in society. The ability of South Africa--no longer an international pariah--to be a locomotive for growth is assessed.




Africa's New Public Policy


Book Description

Africaís New Public Policy: Imperatives for Globalisation and Nation-building provides a comprehensive analysis of globalisation and democracy, from an African perspective. It also provides policy imperatives that are aimed at seeking solutions to the myriad challenges emanating from managing the consequences of globalisation in Nigeria and other African countries. The author attempts to determine the extent to which public administration principles ñ in Nigeria in particular, and the rest of Africa in general, as well as in other parts of the developing world ñ underpin the management of the effects of globalisation within a democracy and nation building projects. Africaís New Public Policy will not only be a useful resource for public policy decision-making on globalisation issues, but it will also serve as a credible reference material for public sector practitioners, scholars in international relations, as well as officials involved in the diplomatic work environment. It also includes a comparative analysis on how Nigeria and South Africa have handled some of the globalisation and democratisation challenges facing their respective countries under the administrations of Presidents Obasanjo and Mbeki respectively.







Challenges to the Nation-state in Africa


Book Description

The challenges facing the nation-state in contemporary Africa are increasingly attracting the attention of scholars interested to understand how the decomposition and recomposition of popular political identities on the continent are affecting the post-colonial unitary project. The studies presented in this volume show that the challenges to the post-colonial nation-state project in Africa have mainly taken ethno-regionalist, religious and separatist forms. These challenges have been shaped by the long drawn-out economic crisis, zero-sum, market-led structural adjustment, and the legacy of decades of political authoritarianism and exclusion that dates from the colonial period. The contributors to this book present different suggestions to promote national unity and a supporting civic identity in Africa.