| dc.description.abstract | The challenge of institution building in African countries remains a major threat to the establishment
of peace and justice, and the entrenchment of sustainable social and economic development. This may
be attributed largely to the dynamic and complex social landscape of most African countries. While
single borders bring political definition to post-independent countries, such countries often struggle to
find a single national identity that transcends numerous tribal, ethnic or historic identities. The role of
central government in creating an effective structure of governance is crucial in the steps towards postconflict
nation-building. However, national institution building is not necessarily the right answer,
especially in contexts difficult to govern, such as vast geographic areas or complex social and ethnic
realities. It is in this sense that this paper – and the initial states of this research – seeks to find an
alternative to ‘institution building’ as a way forward in good governance practices, suggesting rather a
decentralised and localised approach. The case study that will be brought to be bear as an example of
this is Rwanda and a recent governance mechanism – Imihigo – as an approach that has helped create
a new national identity while instilling a culture of service delivery and accountability amongst its
public servants and political leadership. What this paper will seek to argue – in looking at the approach
by Rwanda in decentralising its government – is that institution building is not necessarily the way
forward in Africa’s ‘good governance’ discourse. Instead, this paper – and the broader borders of what
my research is seeking to explore and understand – seeks to present a reformed approach to good
governance in Africa, especially contexts that have been divided along complex lines such as
ethnicity, geography, national identity, or the competition for natural resources. Though it will be
beyond the scope of this research paper specifically, intended environments that this research is hoped
to be applicable – and will therefore involve further research around the applicability of such – include
the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Burundi and Sudan. | en |
