African Journal of Governance and Development

Introduction

Simão Nhambi — 2017-02-10

No Abstract

Regional integration and development in Africa: Between the present realities and overcoming future challenges

Friday Aworaro — 2017-02-10

Since independence in the late 50s and early 60s, regional integration in Africa has been identified as an important strategy for the acceleration of development in the continent. The reality of the post-Cold War international economic world order also stimulates the intensification and fine-tuning of existing regional arrangements leading to the establishment of a supra-national organisation and capacity building institutions to address the problems of underdevelopment in Africa. As a consequence, integration groupings have been reorganised and created but their achievements have largely been modest due to an inappropriate integration approach. It is against this background that this article examines the interlocking nexus between regional integration and development in Africa, and maintains that Africans need to adjust their orientation as well as take a major shift towards economic complementarity among member states of integration blocs for the actualisation of laudable development. It concludes that inward looking and the involvement of all Africans in regional integration processes would be the best approach for regional integration to foster development.

Keywords: Integration, regional organisation, development, growth, Africa

Bridging social capital and the imperative of leadership development in Nigeria

Benjamin Adeniran Aluko — 2017-02-10

This paper asserts that there is a nexus between the nature and character of leadership and the stock and genre of social capital in a polity. Specifically, it posits that low levels of bridging social capital (generalised trust) in contemporary Nigeria are reflective of the abysmally low levels of leadership capital possessed by the holders of State power in particular and the political class in general. The paper takes its bearing from the following postulations: First, it asserts that leadership is the central actor in the creation and maintenance of social capital, whether bonding or bridging. Second, it argues that low levels of bridging social capital in post-authoritarian Nigeria is largely due to the inability of the political leadership to engender trust among the diverse people that constitute the State. The low levels of bridging social capital, therefore, have serious negative implications on inter ethnic and inter-group relations in the country. It concludes that an adherence to the idea of servant leadership would substantially increase the stock of bridging social capital in Nigeria and the spate of identity-related conflicts ravaging the nation (since until now, political leadership has not been able to create generalised trust) would drastically reduce.

Keywords: Bridging social capital; contemporary Nigeria; leadership development; servant leadership

Theoretical appraisal of multimodal federalism as a framework of governance and the prospect of sustainable development in Nigeria

Elijah Babasola Afolabi Agbaje — 2017-02-10

Arising from some retrogressive logic, an ongoing, unresolved debate rages about Nigeria’s ever uncertain federalism. Compared to American history, five decades of nationhood is indeed relatively small. But with the opportunity of learning from existing successful federations coupled with her vast human and material resources, there seems no reason for Nigeria to remain as turbulent and underdeveloped as it stands at present. This paper adopts an historical approach and is subjected to the logic of comparative analysis and attempts, within the prism of welldeveloped prototype models of federalism, to appraise the workings of the Nigerian federal arrangement. It concludes that as a developing contentious multimodal federation, the leadership class has the arduous task of redefining the process of engagement and reconstruction in order to achieve much needed national consensus towards the attainment of equitable structures and accelerated national development.

Keywords: Federalism, multimodal federal systems, national consensus, leadership, nation building, development, Nigeria

Implementation of a public-private partnership in local government in Ghana: A study of Ga West and Adentan Municipal Assemblies in the Greater Accra Region

Thomas Buabeng — 2017-02-10

This paper is aimed at assessing the achievements of public-private partnerships (PPPs) as well as the obstacles to the effective implementation of PPPs in local governments in Ghana using the experience of two assemblies (Ga West Municipal Assembly and Adentan Municipal Assembly) in Ghana. The qualitative research approach was adopted for the study. Key informants were purposively selected from the two study areas and primary data collected using one-on-one indepth interviews. Additionally, secondary data regarding contracting processes and results were further subjected to thorough content analysis. The study observes that PPP has been applied in the provision of different local government services in the two districts. The use of PPPs has chalked up some form of benefits amidst major structural and institutional challenges. The study concludes that PPP has good prospects of enhancing the provision of local government services, if laxities are addressed.

Keywords: PPPs, service delivery, local governments, Ghana, effectiveness

Nigerian political parties and internal democracy

Dorcas Akhere Odigwe — 2017-02-10

Political parties are known as a platform for recruitment of political leaders and the organisation of parliament and government, both in advanced and developing democracies. Since independence in Nigeria, the concept of internal democracy has been relegated to the background through the activities of political parties from the First Republic and the germane issue has become contending in the present Fourth Republic. Research has shown that this lack of internal democracy in political parties led to crisis in the past civilian regimes, and a causal factor on which the military anchored its intervention in 1966. Conflicting interests and ramblings in the Nigerian present political parties is attributed to a lack of internal democracy in the political parties. This study discusses the following: the emergence of political parties in the Nigerian project, political parties and internal democracy and Nigerian experience, as well as the challenges. A way forward to enhance peaceful existence, internal democracy within political parties in Nigeria and full development of the Nations democratic process is suggested. A descriptive research method was utilised, both primary and secondary data was used to gather data, and documentary analysis was used to analyse data to arrive at reasonable conclusions.

Keywords: political parties, internal democracy, Nigeria, Constitution, policy