Twenty-first International Conference on Knowledge, Culture, and Change in Organizations

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to explore the governance problem that has trapped many African states in poverty, food insecurity, foreign aid dependence, conflict, despite tremendous wealth and great human potential. Governance is a multi-dimensional concept that involves the traditions and institutions under which political authority in a country is exercised. The absence of political transparency has become the new postcolonial sociocultural pathology of the African continent. According to the World Bank, good governance involves: voice and accountability, political stability and absence of violence, government effectiveness: capacity of the state to formulate good policies and deliver services effectively, regulatory quality, rule of law, and control of corruption. The paper compares a few states in Africa such as Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, and Tanzania in governance and poverty indicators. The paper is intended to promote dialogue and further research by students and scholars on critical issues of governance, leadership, and conflict resolution and peace building in developing states in general and African states in particular. It is imperative that the continent of Africa needs a cultural transformation that will lead to a sophisticated organizational system that paves the way to state of the art scientific and technological advancement. The paper also examines the relevance of African collectivism to redefine African unity on the market oriented model for a genuine collaboration for progress toward prosperity and equality.