African Agency for Development: Progress, Contradictions, and Complexities in the Era of Globalisation

Abstract

Abstract Although Africa has made some progress in the last two decades, the continent still faces development challenges: the persistence of poverty, unemployment, and inequality. The continent still depends to a large extent on commodities in terms of production and exports, and it imports the bulk of its manufactured goods. Thus, there has been little progress on structural transformation. Dependence on donor financing remains high. Relative to other regions, Africa ranks lowest on many development indicators. This article has two objectives: to assess the nature and practice of African agency and to analyse its effectiveness in shaping, nurturing, and promoting the kind of development that is defined in the African Union's Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want. Agenda 2063 presents a vision of development that is people-driven, people-owned, participatory, and self-reliant. Although the AU has made progress in creating institutional governance architecture and a continental development framework to guide its member states, its “Africanness” and effectiveness as an agency for development seems limited. We attribute this to the limited nature of participation and engagement of broader African society in the decision-making processes and in the programme initiatives that are aimed to achieve the goals of Agenda 2063.