A State Of Our Own

This engaging, thought-provoking lecture triggers crucial questions: Why is the ‘state’ in Africa often a colossal ‘millstone’ rather than a ‘cornerstone’ of development? Why have African states, post-independence, retained inherited colonial structures? Why are people in many parts of Africa poorer today than at independence, and standards of living and security have depreciated? The author posits that the African continent needs a ‘second independence’ in which the primary aim would be to reclaim the state for citizens; not by bypassing the state but by making the state a genuine partner for development.