Informal institutions key issue guide
Relevance of African traditional institutions of governance
Integration of traditional and modern governance systems in Africa
Authors:
Publisher:
UN Economic Commission for Africa , 2007
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. It also develops a theoretical framework for the dynamics that enable traditional governance institutions to play a more ‘developmentalist’ role in modern governance systems.
The authors argue that the task of reversing Africa’s general crisis requires integration of the traditional and modern systems of governance so that they can complement each other. Harmonising the two sets of institutions in turn requires reforms of both, in a way that would make them democratic and amenable to integration into an effective and coherent system of governance. Reforms that reconcile the two sets of institutions also reconcile state society relations and thereby promote democratic governance on the continent.
The paper identifies the following areas in which the application of traditional institutions of governance would have a significant transformative impact:
- state building – traditional conflict resolutions and decision-making mechanism can enhance state building by creating possibilities for accommodating interests of different sub-state entities and the protection of minority interests
- state reconstitution and accountability of leadership – decentralised decision making, resolving conflicts by narrowing differences, making key decisions by consensus and such other features of traditional governance can contribute to bringing the state under broader popular control, grounded in Africa’s political and cultural values
- expansion of public services – traditional authorities can mobilize local communities of political participation, thereby empowering them to play a part in influencing policy on the distribution of public services
- management of resource based conflicts – mitigating resources based conflicts requires respect for the traditional land rights of local communities and their involvement in decision-making as well as in sharing the benefits of land and other geo-resource allocation
