A History Of Development Initiatives In Africa, 1975-2010

ABSTRACT

Development initiatives in post-independence Africa have been influenced by the social, economic and political conditions of the continent as well as the dominant development thoughts at different times. Africa has experienced a very low level of economic development since the 1970s compared to other regions of the world, and in response, several development initiatives have been articulated since the 1980s which reflect the continent’s preferred development agenda. The African economic crisis intensified from 1975 onwards when African countries experienced economic collapse, and a plunge followed by continuing decline in the following decades. Several sources indicate that from 1960 to 1980, Africa recorded a cumulative GNP growth of 1.8% while population growth was 2.5%. In the early 1980s, pictures of starving African children shocked the world. The Lagos Plan of Action (LPA), signed in 1980, was aimed at tackling the African economic crisis with greater resilience, based on the capacity of African states to mobilize natural resources and foster greater mutual economic integration and cooperation. However, the LPA recorded very little success. This was followed by the Abuja Treaty in 1991, which aimed at establishing an African Economic Community (AEC). It formally came into existence in 1994 and like the LPA; the Abuja Treaty did not achieve much success. Addressing this failure, African leaders in 2001 adopted the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) as the continent’s official development programme. This thesis examines the historical moments that led to the design and implementation of development initiatives in Africa, using the LPA, the AEC and the NEPAD as comparative case studies.