The Developmental State Experiment in Africa: The Experiences of Ghana and South Africa

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• published: 30 Apr 2013
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25-03-13 Institute of Commonwealth Studies http://www.sas.ac.uk/ http://events.sas.ac.uk/icws/events/view/13297/The+Developmental+State+Experiment+in+Africa%3A+The+Experiences+of+Ghana+and+South+Africa The Developmental State Experiment in Africa: The Experiences of Ghana and South Africa Professor Joseph R.A. Ayee, FGA; Rector, MountCrest University College, Accra and Emeka Anyaoku Visiting Professor of Commonwealth Studies, University of London ABSTRACT Much ink has been poured on the development project in Africa because of the persistence of poverty and lack of economic transformation in the midst of resources which have either been tapped or yet to be tapped. While some scholars have blamed structural factors (the absence of meaningful diversification and transformation and lack of facilitative environment for private sector growth) and political economy vulnerabilities (such as in effective leadership, weak institutions and corruption) as the cause of lack of economic and political progress in Africa, others have pointed accusing fingers at colonialism, neo-colonialism and an unjust world economic order. In the rush to promote and enhance development in Africa, nine development strategies, some of them overlapping chronologically, have been designed and implemented often under the direction and support of the development partners. Even though these strategies may have contributed to increased GDP growth over the years in African countries, they have largely failed because of a number of factors, namely, (i) ineffective leadership; (ii) poor policy implementation; (iii) policy discontinuity; (iv) slow industrialization; and (v) inadequate conducive environment for private sector growth. The failure of these strategies or paradigms has led to the continued search for an appropriate strategy to address Africa's development predicament. This search has also been exacerbated by the rise of China, East Asia and some Latin American countries as newly industrializing countries, the 2008 global economic crisis stemming from market failure and the renewed interest in the role and nature of the state in the development process especially its role in reviving the economies of many Western countries with bail-out packages by the state. These developments no doubt point to not only the role of the state in development but also the kind of state that will promote and facilitate socio-economic development. The kind of state to shoulder the burden of socio-economic development is the developmental state which according to (Evans 2008: 13) "If ... it was important to 20th century economic success ...will be much more important to 21st century success". Using Ghana (considered as a non-developmental state) and South Africa (considered to be an emerging developmental state) as case studies, the paper examines the extent or the degree to which the two countries have met or achieved the key eight features of the developmental state. Some recommendations are also made with the aim of consolidating progress thus far and deepening or accelerating the process. In doing so, it is hoped that the lecture will make a contribution to the literature on the concept of the developmental state.