Development as obligation and the obligation of development: a philosophical reflection on the nation state in Africa

Abstract

The problem of the relevance of African philosophy to development in Africa arises from the fact that the modern African philosopher faces problems from within and outside his discipline. Specifically how do we build up a social order that can effectively confront Africa’s existential challenges.? How does development become an obligation to the Africans to necessarily carry out? How do we define our obligation of, to, development, given the numerous challenges facing our peoples? This situation is challenging because an inherited foreign colonial legacy obstructs efforts to install primary and prioritized endogenous perspectives for solutions to African problems. The dualistic roles of philosophy both as an academic field and as a thought system generates a crisis of values in African development concerns that we are compelled to tackle by using both the strategies of physical development and moral values for a man centered development.