Resurgence of Traditional Institutions of Governance: Imperative for State-Building in Africa
Resurgence of Traditional Institutions of Governance: Imperative for State-Building in Africa

Summary/Abstract: The question of the rights-based institutions of governance capable of facilitating the consolidation of state-building and democratic governance in Africa remains critical as most African countries continue to experience widespread disintegration of their institutions of governance despite the demise of colonialism and autocracy in the continent. While some scholars argue for selective application of some traditional African political models of governance as solution to African deepening crises, others however doubt the relevance of such models in the 21st century demands of governance. By examining the traditional African system of state legitimacy and civil obedience, this paper argue that though the viability of institutions cannot be necessarily determined by whether they are imported or indigenous, the present African political and economic crisis is unlikely to be reversed under the existing mostly contradictory duality of institutions. It recommends among others, a dynamic interplay and harmonization of Africa’s cultural ideological heritage and the agencies of the modern state.

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