Some Reflections on African Development Strategies in the 21st Century: From the LPA to NEPAD

Abstract

Diagnosing the earlier African development frameworks in response to the structural adjustment programs (SAPs) of neoliberal economic policy, this article begins by discussing the historical, political and economic backdrops of five landmark African development strategies emerged in the 1980s and early 1990s. Starting from the Lagos Plan of Action (LPA), the article then pays attentions to the Abuja Treaty establishing the African Economic Community with a view to examining its compositions, modalities as well as its implications for the NEPAD framework. Lastly, this article delves into three key frameworks of NEPAD, including peace and security governance, economic and regional governance, and political and democratic governance. Exploring these frameworks of NEPAD within the diametrically opposing views held by its architects and those of its critics, this article concludes by rethinking African development paths as well as presenting the way forward.