Whither African Development? A Preparatory for an African Alternative Reformulation of the Concept of Development

Abstract

Intended as a preparatory for an African alternative reformulation of the concept of development, this paper problematises Africa’s development experience in order to understand the impasse that has characterised it. Three major concerns are addressed: first, development is historically examined as a politically violent and oppressive, culturally deterministic and economically exploitative paradigm operating on a flawed logic. Second, it discusses the reconceptualisation of development as a global project in the current era of neoliberal globalisation, and considers why problems of African development cannot be solved within the context of this equally flawed and problematic reformulation. Finally, the paper proposes ways in which development, rather than abandoned, might be reclaimed so as to allow for reformulations of indigenous African alternatives; that is, reformulated and anchored in indigenous conceptions of social provisioning and the individual’s position within a community.