Models of Governance and African Development in the 21 st Century

Abstract

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The issue of governance is a very serious one considering the place of governance in every country’s development. This explains why it is imperative to understand the models of governance. A good understanding of these models would help a country desirous of development to know the right model for itself. It is apt to state that the socioeconomic and political conditions prevalent in a country determine the model or models of governance to be adopted which, in turn, affects these conditions. This study found that many countries in Africa are characterized by high levels of poverty, unemployment, insecurity, electoral malpractices, and general level of underdevelopment; the root cause of all these is bad governance. With bad governance there cannot be development in any country, since it is antithetical to development. This explains why the citizens of every country desire and yearn for good governance. The paper is qualitative in nature. The relevant data were sourced from documented and archival materials, such as textbooks, journals, newspapers, and internet materials. Historical and descriptive methods of data analysis were adopted to analyse the gathered data. Social contract theory was used as the theoretical framework. The study recommends that for good governance and development to be achieved in Africa, those in position of power and authority should try as much as possible to take the welfare and wellbeing of the people into serious consideration and also shun corruption and authoritarian governance style. The governments of African countries and their citizens should ensure that elections are transparent and devoid of manipulations and outright rigging. Citizens should also ensure that they take active part in politics and governance and hold public officers accountable.