Governance, security, and development are three critical components of a dialectical nexus that is both dominant and determinant for any objective and fruitful quest for the understanding of the trajectory of a country, a region or, in the case of Africa, a continent from a colonial past to a neocolonial and meta-colonial present, and toward a future of strategic optimal independence and self-reliance. That colonial past and the ensuing neocolonial and meta-colonial present have made these critical components and the dialectical nexus that they form particularly challenging for the African continent. For this reason, Issues of Governance, Security and Development in Contemporary Africa offers an in-depth, interdisciplinary analysis of the challenges that contemporary Africa faces within these critical areas, as well as the resources and prospects that the continent possesses and can leverage to overcome the said challenges. Using case studies involving a range of countries across the continent, Mohamed Saliou Camara, Alem Hailu, and Sabella O. Abidde argue that Africa needs to decolonize the terms of reference that guide its nation-building, statecraft, and national development agenda in ways that will facilitate the establishment of viable systems of governance and security, and the promotion of genuine development.

Table of Contents:
Preface Acknowledgments List of Abbreviations Introduction Chapter 1: Self-Determination and Its Ambiguous Application in the League of Nations’ Mandate System by Cíntia Martins and Pedro Ponte e Sousa Chapter 2: “Lions on the Move”: Assessing Africa’s Economic Challenges, Prospects, and Progress since Independence by Michael Rudolph Ten-Pow Chapter 3: Polycentric and Centralized Federalism in Africa by Oyebade Kunle Oyerinde Chapter 4: France and Francophone Africa: Can the New Scramble for Africa Put an End to an Enduring Zero-Sum Relationship? by Walters Tohnji Samah Chapter 5: In(ter)dependence or New Dependence?: China’s Infrastructure Development Model in Africa and Implications for Modernization and Modernity by Stephen M. Magu Chapter 6: Climate Change and Food Security in the Lake Chad Region: Current Realities and Imperative Actions by Stanley Ehiane and Mabuyi Gumede Chapter 7: Coup Makers as Leaders of Constitutional Change in Francophone Africa: Case Studies in Civil-Military Relations in Benin, Mali, and Guinea by Mohamed Saliou Camara Chapter 8: From Coup Makers to Leaders of Democratic Change in Anglophone Africa: Case Studies in Civil-Military Relations in Nigeria and Ghana by Mohamed Saliou Camara Chapter 9: Terrorism in Nigeria: The Examination of the Statements, Utterances, and Declarations of the Northern Islamic Elite to Justify the Fulanization and Islamization of Nigeria” by Priye S. Torulagha Chapter 10: A Forgotten Threat?: Drug Trafficking, Security and Governance Challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa by Felix Kumah-Abiwu Chapter 11: Climate Change, Human Security, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the Rule of Law: African Union Quo Vadis? by Oliver C. Ruppel and Larissa Jane H. Houston Chapter 12: Coronavirus Outbreak: A Test to Authenticity of the African Continental Free Trade Area Policy in the Era of Globalisation by Seun Bamidele Chapter 13: European Military Conscription, Forced Labour, and Refugee Crisis in West Africa during World War I: Trends and Reactions by James Olusegun Adeyeri and Jackson A. Aluede Chapter 14: Social Heterogeneity and Cooperation in Africa: Farmland Ownership among the Yoruba of Nigeria by Oyebade Kunle Oyerinde Chapter 15: Assessing the Impact of “Enlarging People’s Choices” for Kenyan Women through Political Participation, Equal Access to Justice and Socio-economic Development by Habiba Ibrahim and Stephen M. Magu Chapter 16: Globalization and Violent Extremism in Africa: From Regional (In)security Complexes to a Global (In)security Complex by Lawrence Mhandara Conclusion About the Editors About the Contributors