features of traditional african system of government

If African political elite opinion converges with that of major external voices in favoring stabilization over liberal peacebuilding agendas, the implications for governance are fairly clear.17. The arguments against traditional institutions are countered by arguments that consider traditional institutions to be indispensable and that they should be the foundations of African institutions of governance (Davidson, 1992). There is also the question of inclusion of specific demographic cohorts: women, youth, and migrants from rural to urban areas (including migrant women) all face issues of exclusion that can have an impact on conflict and governance. It may be good to note, as a preliminary, that African political systems of the past dis played considerable variety. What Are the Weaknesses of Traditional Security Systems? Furthermore, for generations, Africans were taught the Western notion of the tribe as . PDF Traditional Leaders In Modern Africa: Can Democracy And The - ETH Z An analytical study and impact of colonialism on pre-colonial centralized and decentralized African Traditional and Political Systems. Such a transformation would render traditional institutions dispensable. Additionally, the transaction costs for services provided by the traditional institutions are much lower than the services provided by the state. What Is a Command Economy? - The Balance The optimistic replyand it is a powerful oneis that Africans will gradually build inclusive political and economic institutions.18 This, however, requires wise leadership. However, the traditional modes of production and the institutional systems associated with them also remain entrenched among large segments of the population. African Governance: Challenges and Their Implications. Under conditions where nation-building is in a formative stage, the retribution-seeking judicial system and the winner-take-all multiparty election systems often lead to combustible conditions, which undermine the democratization process. Others contend that African countries need to follow a mixed institutional system incorporating the traditional and formal systems (Sklar, 2003). Interestingly, small and mid-size state leaders have won the award so far.) This is in part because the role of traditional leaders has changed over time. At times, devolution has had major fiscal and governance consequences, including serving as a vehicle for co-option and corruption. There are several types of government systems in African politics: in an absolute monarchy, the head of state and head of government is a monarch with unlimited legal authority,; in a constitutional monarchy, the monarch is a ceremonial figurehead who has few political competences,; in a presidential system, the president is the head of state and head of government, Oromos are one of the largest ethnic groups in sub-Saharan Africa belonging to the Cushitic-speaking peoples in Northeastern Africa in general and in modern Ethiopia and Kenya in particular. Broadly speaking, indigenous systems of governance are those that were practiced by local populations in pre-colonial times. In these relatively new nations, the critical task for leadership is to build a social contract that is sufficiently inclusive to permit the management of diversity. There are several types of government that are traditionally instituted around the world. Both can be identified as forms of governance. As noted, African countries have experienced the rise of the modern (capitalist) economic system along with its corresponding institutional systems. The key lies in identifying the variables that will shape its context. Chieftaincy is further plagued with its own internal problems, including issues of relevance, succession, patriarchy, jurisdiction, corruption and intra-tribal conflict. The analysis presented here suggests that traditional institutions are relevant in a number of areas while they are indispensable for the governance of Africas traditional economic sector, which lies on the fringes of formal state institutions. Another issue that needs some clarification is the neglect by the literature of the traditional institutions of the political systems without centralized authority structures. Beyond such macro factors, several less obvious variables seem important to the political and economic governance future of the region. You cant impose middle class values on a pre-industrial society.13. Not surprisingly, incumbent leaders facing these challenges look to short-term military remedies and extend a welcome to military partnerswith France, the United States, and the United Nations the leading candidates. . However, their participation in the electoral process has not enabled them to influence policy, protect their customary land rights, and secure access to public services that would help them overcome their deprivation. Thus, another report by PRIO and the University of Uppsala (two Norwegian and Swedish centers) breaks conflict down into state-based (where at least one party is a government), non-state-based (neither party is an official state actor), and one-sided conflicts (an armed faction against unarmed civilians). 15 Facts on African Religions The Interfaith Observer South Africas strategy revolves around recognition of customary law when it does not conflict with the constitution and involves traditional authorities in local governance. Despite apparent differences, the strategies of the three countries have some common features as well that may inform other counties about the measures institutional reconciliation may entail. Differences and Similarities between Democracy and Authoritarian This chapter examines traditional leadership within the context of the emerging constitutional democracy in Ghana. It is also highly unlikely that such broader aspects of traditional institutions can be eliminated without transforming the traditional modes of production that foster them. The term covers the expressed commands of Third, Africas conflict burden reflects different forms and sources of violence that sometimes become linked to each other: political movements may gain financing and coercive support from criminal networks and traffickers, while religious militants with connections to terrorist groups are often adept at making common cause with local grievance activists. eLimu | Political developments and systems Chiefs with limited power: Another category of chiefs is those that are hereditary, like the paramount chiefs, but have limited powers. The movement towards a formal state system is characterized by its emphasis on retribution and punishment. In the postcolonial era, their roles changed again. However, their endurance, along with that of traditional economic systems, have fostered institutional fragmentation, which has serious adverse effects on Africas governance and economic development. Some African nations are prosperous while others struggle. One is that the leaders of the postcolonial state saw traditional institutions and their leadership as archaic vestiges of the past that no longer had a place in Africas modern system of governance. In light of this discussion of types of inclusion, the implications for dealing with state fragility and building greater resilience can now be spelled out. The question then becomes, how to be inclusive?19 A number of African states have decentralized their political decision-making systems and moved to share or delegate authority from the center to provincial or local levels. The traditional African religions (or traditional beliefs and practices of African people) are a set of highly diverse beliefs that include various ethnic religions . 2. For these and other reasons, the state-society gap lies at the heart of the problems faced by many states. Decision making is generally participatory and often consensus-based. A long-term route to political and economic success has been comprehensively documented by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson in their global study of why nations fail or succeed. President Muhammadu Buhari is currently the federal head of state and government. African Traditional Political System and Institution: University of The Gambia, Faculty of humanities and social sciences. Indigenous education is a process of passing the inherited knowledge, skills, cultural traditions norms and values of the tribe, among the tribal member from one generation to another Mushi (2009). Hoover Education Success Initiative | The Papers. This provides wide opportunity for governments to experiment, to chart a course independent of Western preferences, but it can also encourage them to move toward authoritarian, state capitalist policies when that is the necessary or the expedient thing to do. Space opened up for African citizens and civil society movements, while incumbent regimes were no longer able to rely on assured support from erstwhile external partners. These migrations resulted in part from the formation and disintegration of a series of large states in the western Sudan (the region north of modern Ghana drained by the Niger River). Some live in remote areas beyond the reach of some of the institutions of the state, such as courts. Good and inclusive governance is imperative for Africa's future This is done through the enforcement agencies such as the police force. Due to the influence of previous South African and Nigerian leaders, the African Union established the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) to review and report on a range of governance criteria. The traditional justice system, thus, does not have the power to grant any rights beyond the local level. Issues of corruption and transparency are likely to become driving themes in African politics. Consequently, national and regional governance factors interact continuously. MyHoover delivers a personalized experience atHoover.org. Large countries such as the DRC, Ethiopia, and Mozambique are likely to experience pressures against centralized, authoritarian, or one-party governance (whether accompanied by real elections or not). All life was religious . Department of Political Science, Pennsylvania State University, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Contentious Politics and Political Violence, Political Values, Beliefs, and Ideologies, Why African Traditional Institutions Endure, Authority Systems of Africas Traditional Institutions, Relevance and Paradox of Traditional Institutions, https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.013.1347, United Nations Office of the Special Adviser on Africa, Global Actors: Networks, Elites, and Institutions, Traditional Leaders and Development in Africa. Governance: Why democracy is failing in Africa - GhanaWeb There were several reasons for such measures. African conflict trends point to a complex picture, made more so by the differing methodologies used by different research groups. In some societies, traditional, tribal authorities may offer informed and genuinely accepted governance, provided that they are not merely government appointees pursuing decentralized self-enrichment. In addition, according to Chirayath et al. the system even after independence. While this attribute of the traditional system may not be practical at the national level, it can be viable at local levels and help promote democratic values. On the other hand, their endurance creates institutional fragmentation that has adverse impacts on Africas governance and socioeconomic transformation. The origins of this institutional duality, the implications of which are discussed in Relevance and Paradox of Traditional Institutions, are largely traceable to the colonial state, as it introduced new economic and political systems and superimposed corresponding institutional systems upon the colonies without eradicating the existed traditional economic, political, and institutional systems. Leaders may not be the only ones who support this definition of legitimacy. Perhaps a more realistic transitional approach would be to reconcile the parallel institutions while simultaneously pursuing policies that transform traditional economic systems. 3. In the past decade, traditional security systems utilized in commercial or government facilities have consisted of a few basic elements: a well-trained personnel, a CCTV system, and some kind of access control system. Relevance of African traditional institutions of Governance Why the traditional systems endure, how the institutional dichotomy impacts the process of building democratic governance, and how the problems of institutional incoherence might be mitigated are issues that have not yet received adequate attention in African studies. Rule that is based on predation and political monopoly is unlikely to enjoy genuine popular legitimacy, but it can linger for decades unless there are effective countervailing institutions and power centers. The usual plethora of bour- The Aqils (elders) of Somalia and the chiefs in Kenya are good examples. States would be more effective in reforming the traditional judicial system if they recognized them rather than neglecting them, as often is the case. PDF The Local Government System in Ghana - Clgf Roughly 80% of rural populations in selected research sites in Ethiopia, for example, say that they rely on traditional institutions to settle disputes, while the figure is around 65% in research sites in Kenya (Mengisteab & Hagg, 2017). Basing key political decisions on broad societal and inter-party consensus may help to de-escalate cutthroat competition that often leads to violent conflicts. This concept paper focuses on the traditional system of governance in Africa including their consensual decision-making models, as part of a broader effort to better define and advocate their role in achieving good governance. Somalilands strategy has brought traditional leaders into an active role in the countrys formal governance by creating an upper house in parliament, the Guurti, where traditional leaders exercise the power of approving all bills drafted by the lower house of parliament. In this paper, I look first at the emergence of the African state system historically, including colonial legacies and the Cold Wars impact on governance dynamics. There is no more critical variable than governance, for it is governance that determines whether there are durable links between the state and the society it purports to govern. As institutional scholars state, institutional incompatibility leads to societal conflicts by projecting different laws governing societal interactions (Eisenstadt, 1968; Helmke & Levitsky, 2004; March & Olsen, 1984; North, 1990; Olsen, 2007). (2005), customary systems operating outside of the state regime are often the dominant form of regulation and dispute resolution, covering up to 90% of the population in parts of Africa. for in tradi-tional African communities, politics and religion were closely associated. The quality and durability of such leader-defined adaptive resilience cannot be assured and can be reversed unless the associated norms become institutionalized. This section attempts to explain these seemingly contradictory implications of traditional institutions. The Boundaries of Tradition: An Examination of the Traditional media system, was concerned with the more systematized dissemination of information between the traditional administrative organ and the people (subjects). Your current browser may not support copying via this button. Unfortunately, transforming the traditional sector is not an easy undertaking and cannot be achieved in a reasonably short time. However, they are not merely customs and norms; rather they are systems of governance, which were formal in precolonial times and continue to exist in a semiformal manner in some countries and in an informal manner in others. The laws and legal systems of Africa have developed from three distinct legal traditions: traditional or customary African law, Islamic law, and the legal systems of Western Europe. State Systems in Pre-colonial, Colonial and Post-colonial - Jstor The end of colonialism, however, did not end institutional dichotomy, despite attempts by some postcolonial African states to abolish the traditional system, especially the chieftaincy-based authority systems. Unfortunately, little attention by African governments has been given to this paradoxical aspect of traditional institutions. The essay concludes with a sobering reflection on the challenge of achieving resilient governance. Many of the chieftaincy systems, such as those in much of South Africa, the Asantehene of the Ashanti of Ghana, the Tswana of Botswana, and the Busoga of Uganda seem to fall within this category. He served as assistant secretary of state for African affairs from 1981 to 1989. Learn more about joining the community of supporters and scholars working together to advance Hoovers mission and values. A third layer lies between the other two layers and is referred to in this article as traditional institutions. Subsequent to the colonial experience, traditional institutions may be considered to be informal institutions in the sense that they are often not sanctioned by the state. Government and the Political System 2.1. Reconciling the parallel institutional systems is also unlikely to deliver the intended results in a short time; however, there may not be any better alternatives. 2007 Relevance of African Traditional Institutions of Governance The council of elders, religious leaders, and administrative staff of the chiefs exercise checks on the power of the leaders and keep them accountable (Beattie, 1967; Busia, 1968; Coplan & Quinlan, 1997; Jones, 1983; Osaghae, 1989). The key . In this view, nations fail because of extractive economic and political institutions that do not provide incentives for growth and stability. Institutions represent an enduring collection of formal laws and informal rules, customs, codes of conduct, and organized practices that shape human behavior and interaction. This situation supported an external orientation in African politics in which Cold War reference points and former colonial relationships assured that African governments often developed only a limited sense of connection to their own societies. They include: Monarchs (absolute or constitutional): While the colonial state reduced most African kings to chiefs, a few survived as monarchs. The colonial state modified their precolonial roles. Presently, Nigeria practices the federal system. Contents 1. African Governance: Challenges and Their Implications His dramatic tenure since April of 2018 appears to be shaking up the states creaky authoritarian services and creating the space for important adaptations such as ending a long-standing state of emergency, freeing political prisoners, reaching out to a wide range of foreign partners, and extending the olive branch to Eritrea with whom Ethiopia had fought a costly war. This layer of institutions is the subject of inquiry of this article. Key Takeaways. These features include nonprofits, non-profits and hybrid entities are now provide goods and services that were once delivered by the government. African Traditional Political Systems and Intitutions - Academia.edu One of these is the potential influence exerted by the regions leading states, measured in terms of size, population, economic weight, and overall political clout and leadership prestige. First, many of the conflicts enumerated take place within a limited number of conflict-affected countries and in clearly-defined geographic zones (the Sahel and Nigeria; Central Africa; and the Horn.) The development of inclusive institutions may involve struggles that enable political and societal actors to check the domination of entrenched rulers and to broaden rule-based participation in governance. Rather, they are conveners of assemblies of elders or lower level chiefs who deliberate on settlement of disputes. On the one hand, traditional institutions are highly relevant and indispensable, although there are arguments to the contrary (see Mengisteab & Hagg [2017] for a summary of such arguments). Integration of traditional and modern governance systems in Africa. One can identify five bases of regime legitimacy in the African context today. To complicate matters further, the role of traditional institutions is likely to be critical in addressing the problem of institutional fragmentation.

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