Supporting African Renaissance: Afrocentric Leadership and the Imperative of Strong Institutions

Abstract

Teffo argues in this chapter that Africa’s renewal after several failed attempts from globally inspired policy options, such as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the wasted decade of experiments under the Washington Consensus that left the continent bruised, is still within reach. Teffo, however, argues that the renewal process needs to embody, inter alia, a mental liberation relying on thought leadership and reflective consciousness drawn from the African agency (State Institutions such as Independent Electoral Commission, Auditor General, Human Rich Commission among others). Given the failure of the externally driven developmental policy options, former South African President Thabo Mbeki called for radical and rebellious reaction leading to an African Renaissance. The chapter outlines the beginning of the African Renaissance movement in the works of Chiekh Anta Diop and Walter Rodney. Teffo contends that the renewal of Africa through the search for a guiding framework from an African agency requires revisiting Diop’s ideas. The chapter then concludes that the success of the African Renaissance depends strongly on Afrocentric leadership, working through strong institutions, especially of higher learning and training.