Reflections on Leadership and Institutions in Africa

Book excerpt: This book contains different reflections on leadership and institutions in Africa. Drawing from different ideological and methodological orientations, the book highlights how leadership and institutions have shaped and continue to shape the trajectory of Africa’s political and economic development. The book explores different epochs in Africa’s history, from the era of colonialism to the period of nationalist movements, and up to post-colonial Africa. Essays in the volume engage with major actors and important institutions that defined each era. By presenting various reflections and representations of leadership and institutions in Africa, this book attempts to make the connection between leadership and institutions on the one hand, and between these variables and Africa’s development on the other. Similar to most studies on Africa’s political economy, the book considers the role of external forces whether operationalized through direct interventions as was the case during the colonial era, or through subtle imposition of policies as has been the new model in post-colonial times. Drawing from these lenses, issues around Africa’s dependency on external interventions, neo-colonialism, neoliberalism, and disregard for Africa’s culture are explored and contextualized within the framework of leadership and institutions.