The paper examines the nexus between China’s coupling and economic relations with Africa under the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (ACFTA). It also analyses the future of ACFTR especially with the technical support African states will be enjoying through their collaboration with China or in the absence of such support, how Africa may utilize the opportunities available and the likely challenges to encounter in the implementation of ACFTA. Using the secondary source of data, findings show that the implementation of ACFTA can lead to substantial higher bilateral trade between China and Africa. The paper concludes that both in the short and long run, China and African countries stand to benefit immensely in the implementation of ACFTA. The paper recommends that African countries should ratify and domesticate ACFTA and should collaborate with China for the purpose of harnessing the opportunities and surmounting the likely challenges that may emanate from the implementation process.

This study seeks to explain the history of the ancient Silk Road and also explain its strategic importance as a network of trade routes connecting China and the Far East with the Middle East and Europe. Using the library's documented instrument and historical descriptive methodology, findings show that the Silk Road is historically connected with the Eastern and Western civilizations and culture. Merchants on the Silk Road transported goods and traded at bazaars along the way. They traded goods such as silk, spices, tea, ivory, cotton, wool, precious metals, and ideas. The Silk Road also enabled cultural transfers, for instance when Genghis Khan and the Mongols invaded China, they came along with their own culture, e.g., buttons on clothes were introduced in China as a cultural import from Central Asia especially under the rule of Kublai Khan during the Yuan Dynasty. The paper concludes that the Silk Road rose to prominence during the Han and Tang dynasties. The long-distance trade at this time did not just transport goods and luxuries, it was also a lifeline of ideas and innovations from Persia, India and countries of the Middle East and Central Asia.

After two decades of the return to civil rule, the not too impressive scorecard of Nigerian democracy has raised concerns and questions demanding answers as to why the country is still struggling with the delivery of democratic governance and dividends such as; social welfare, justice, even-federal development as well as equal access to national resources. The paper inspects carefully, those factors that have and are hindering the success of democracy and democratic governance in Nigeria especially at the local government level. In doing this, related literatures were reviewed while the Structural Functionalist theory is adopted as the theoretical model or frame work and the collection of data was carried out through the secondary source. The study reveals that democracy in Nigeria especially at the local government level has not done up to its expectation due largely to corruption, partisan politics, upper governmental interference, lack of local government autonomy, among others. It therefore recommends that among other things, the local governments should be granted it constitutional autonomy in powers and functions, the fight against corruption should be stretched to the local government areas while Local government officials are made accountable to the local residence and that the leaders should be more ethical in their political pursue

This study assessed FOCAC and the significance of the first Beijing Summit resolutions to Africa. The paper adopted developmental research design and qualitative method of data collection by means of secondary data. The study also leveraged on complex interdependence theory as a framework for analysis. The study found out that the Beijing Summit resolution to Africa organized in the year 2000 laid the foundation of mutual cooperation and assistance for the forum on China-Africa cooperation. Assessing the significance of the summit in consonance with the aims and objectives of FOCAC, as highlighted at the summit, it was found out that the summit was significant not only in the areas of debt cancellation and establishment of African human resource development fund and investment, but also in the areas of boosting rapid development of overall cooperation, leading a new type of international cooperation with Africa, promoting democratization of international relations and improving global governance on the principle of win-win cooperation. The paper lamented that there are some challenges faced by FOCAC and recommendations were provided.