The intrigues of state and governance in Africa

The state is the epicentre of politics. It is the stage upon which the “game” of politics is played. The state shapes and controls and where it does not shape or control, it regulates, supervises, authorizes or proscribes political action and behaviour. Thus, politics is understood as the study of the state. The concept of state has been variously defined and from the various definitions, particular traits are evident: the state has several distinct features that distinguish it from all other institutions in society; the state is sovereign; the state has a significant feature of legitimacy; and the state is territorially-defined. Similarly, numerous theories have been propounded in an attempt to understand the origin, nature, power, organization, development and impact of the state. In a nutshell, these theories underline the role of state in four major ways: the state exists to regulate the various conflicting groups that exist in society, in pursuit of supremacy and leverage over others: the state exists to serve the economic interests of the dominant class in society; the state has the role of perpetuating the common good within the society; and lastly the state, through its many institutions, regulates relations between itself; its citizens and other internal as well as external actors, for its own self-preservation. This paper therefore critically examines the theories of the state, forms of state and government, the state in Africa, the state and civil society, and examines the various challenges facing the state in the developing world. The authors argues that the nature of the African state is underpinned by its colonial roots and that corruption, ethnicity and a bloated, ineffective bureaucracy are some of the outstanding characteristics of the African state.