Good governance should be on the forefront for Africa’s social development

If democracy and development are to have any future in Africa the priority must be to improve governance. The issue of good governance is complex and there are a large number of wide ranging conditions that must be met in order for this practice to thrive in Africa. In such circumstances, citizens must have the freedom to exercise their right to monitor and get involved in all developmental initiatives of their respective countries. Such participation is not only essential for strengthening governance but also to aid development. Partly due to public pressure, many African countries are now engaged in the process of institutional restructuring aimed at evolving democratic structures, processes and institutions that are essential for building a capable state. Not only are elections increasingly becoming the means for regime change, better observance of human rights and the rule of law as well as more participation of women in governance is also occurring. On addition, media liberalization and the establishment of anti-corruption institutions are helping to stem the tide of corruption from the government officials. It should be noted that improved governance is strongly linked to prosperity and social development on the continent and thereby increasing the demands made by African citizens on their governments. Today, the building of democracy in Africa is a bottom up practice. Government and private institutions, are educating people on their political rights, providing them with the skills to demand answers from their governments, expose and challenge of corruption, monitor Government budgets and spending as well as promoting community development. Civic groups and diplomatic members also work at national level to monitor elections, parliamentary deliberations, waste, fraud and abuse of power, lobby for institutional reforms and innovations to control corruption and promote the quality and transparency of governance. Most importantly, an effective participation approach to government can allow ordinary people to interact with state leadership. By being involved in governance, development planning becomes more real to ordinary people in poor countries and this may provide the impetus for citizens to take part in their countries’ development. Good governance on the continent is also essential for Africa’s development since such practice has been demonstrated to be positively correlated with the achievement of better growth rates, income, investment, human capital, economic liberalization and distributive income growth in society. Key programs such as New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), and the promotion of political inclusiveness are an important institutional reform required to strengthen political governance in Africa. Citizens’ participation in policy making leads to greater accountability of government officials, openness and transparency and builds up social reciprocities characterized by equity, inter group tolerance and active citizenship. Since governance can be seen as a performance orientated practice in which high quality political goods are offered to citizens, political inclusiveness is a central component of good governance as it gives a voice and power to the people receiving the service. It should be highlighted that governments cannot be considered to be functioning properly without strong popular participation. Good governance that includes the creation of effective and efficient institutions of governance is essential for sustained development on the African continent. A key component of good governance is political inclusiveness or the active participation of civil society in politics and the political process. Ends