Africas leadership challenges in the 21st century: A Nigerian perspective

Folarin, S. F.

doi:10.5897/ajpsir09.055

Cited by 11 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Leadership in any form and context responds to the environment, there is a typical interface between leadership and the environment. Some scholars, like Folarin (2013), averse to seeing leadership crisis in Africa from the perspective of the misdemeanor of various political rulers on the continent but should be viewed differently from fundamental causes of the crisis which include personal capacity underdevelopment, to socio-psychological and value deficiencies as well as misunderstandings that need to be addressed if Africa will be developmentally repositioned.…”

Section: Environmental/contextual Problemmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a result of the passiveness of the citizens to hold their leaders accountable and a silent international community, the African leaders have plagued their various nations and people without restraints (Mills, 2010(Mills, , 2011. Folarin (2013) identified context (environment) as one of leadership challenges in Africa. At the contextual level in the case of Africa, the historical, environmental, diseases, poverty, wars and political instability, infrastructural and general underdevelopment are the turbulent issues.…”

Section: Environmental/contextual Problemmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The implication of this is the need to have the right kind of leaders with the appropriate leadership qualities at the helms of affairs in these critical sector that drives the economy of the countries. With Africa struggling at he lower rungs of global competitiveness index as well as occupying unenviable position in the Global Value Chain (GVC), the continent's quest for space in the knowledge-driven global development sphere will only be achieved when a new generation of inspirational leaders possessing and promoting knowledge as well as inspiring others to create and share knowledge occupy leading positions How well Africa is responding to the changing global paradigms of globalization, world perspectives, technology, international speed of events and democratization is a major leadership challenge on the continent (Folarin, 2013).The constantly changing demands requires that the focus of leadership from the "authoritarian" "top-down" style traditional leadership paradigm prevalent in most African countries today give way to accommodate current demands which make it imperative for leaders to explore and adopt options beyond their authority to influence their followers as well as get the commitment instead of compliance from their followers (OECD, 2001).…”

Section: Imperative Of Leadership Development Education In African Comentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The failure of leadership on the continent engendered and escalated prevalent poverty, infrastructural underdevelopment, misappropriation of public funds embezzlement and inability to maximize the continent's demographic dividend by creating enabling environment to effectively maximize the potential and value of the bourgeoning working age population among others (Folarin, 2013;Izugbara, Tilahun, & Owii, 2018). The lack of quality leadership in the helm of affairs in the African nations inadvertently pushed the continent to the brink of cyclic crisis occasioned by poorly implemented restructuring programmes and wrongly adopted policies from countries providing financial aids.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Imperative of Leadership Education in Africa's Quest for Global Development Space

2019

DCS

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More than half a century after independence from the colonial powers, the spate of development in Africa remains a sharp contrast to the great expectations of the freedom struggle which led to the emergence of modern African countries. The continent is today occupying the lowest rung on the global development ladder beleaguered with widespread poverty, poverty-triggered violence, civil crisis, youth restiveness due to chronic unemployment, multi-facetted insecurity and many more constraints to stable development which have resulted in continuous massive emigration of majority of the working age population from the continent to other climes in search of greener pastures. The struggle of the continent to occupy a significant position in the global development space continues to remain elusive due to weak or non-existing institutional frameworks to provide the critical impetus and environment conducive for development. Several researches have placed the blame for these on the doorsteps of bad leadership and lack of good governance in Africa. Leadership at the public level is expected to proffer solutions to problems and challenges arising from their immediate environment's need to respond to changing circumstances within and outside. The challenge in most African countries over the years has been the paucity of leaders with the capacity to promote the requisite development for the continent to effectively occupy a significant space in global development commensurate with the enormous human and material resources the continent is endowed with. Using the eclectic method of inquiry, descriptive and historical overview of relevant themes, this paper explores the challenge of leadership and the attendant consequences. The quality of leadership in many African countries significantly impacts the rate of development or underdevelopment in these countries; the quality of leadership on the continent has adversely affected diverse sectors; especially, the education sector and the leadership in most African countries lacks the requisite capacity to promote the adaptation that will not only restore, but also promote the fundamental interests and values of their society when existing circumstances create contradiction between how things are being done and how they should be done. The study argues that there should be a thorough review of the education system in African countries to give room for leadership nurturing in students through a multi-phase leadership education that is multidisciplinary, global, and ethics oriented as panacea for many of the leadership challenges in many African countries. The inclusion of leadership education in school curriculum will engender the preparation of students with practical and requisite skills that will enhance their ability to be effective leaders in future whether in public or private sector, overcoming the disaster of leadership of the current dispensation while giving assurance for a better future for the continent and the world at large.

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Section: Environmental/contextual Problemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Environmental/contextual Problemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Imperative Of Leadership Development Education In African Comentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Imperative of Leadership Education in Africa's Quest for Global Development Space

2019

DCS

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“…The doctrine of Afrocentrism is predicated on the supposed manifest leadership role placed on Nigeria by nature, which made her leaders define Africa’s interest as Nigeria’s national interest ( Warner, 2017 ); a development that has been contended to have no empirical bearing on the welfare of Nigerians thereby generating intense scrutiny ( Dan-Fulani, 2014 ; Folarin, 2010 ; Mbara, 2019 ). In its Africa-first policy, did Nigeria play the felt leadership role and did other African states recognize and acknowledge the claim?…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Afrocentrism, national interest and citizen welfare in Nigeria’s foreign policy maneuvers

Mbara

Gopal

2020

F1000Res

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Background: Nigeria’s former Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, in his addresses of August and October 1, 1960, declared Africa as the centrepiece of Nigeria’s foreign policy. This policy thrust has remained a constant variable in the country’s diplomatic engagements over the years. The doctrine of Afrocentrism is predicated on the supposed manifest leadership role placed on Nigeria by nature. This made her leaders define Africa’s interest as Nigeria’s national interest, a development that has been contended to have no empirical bearing on the welfare of Nigerians thereby generating intense scrutiny. Consequently, this study evaluates the impact of Nigeria’s Afrocentric foreign policy thrust on the welfare of the ordinary Nigerians. The study further analyses the country’s gravitation towards citizen-centred diplomacy in 2007. These will help in comprehending the interaction between national interest and foreign policy in Nigeria, and to identify whose interests have been protected the most in Nigeria’s foreign policy pursuit – that of the ordinary citizens or the elites? Methods: Through the qualitative research method, in-depth interviews (IDIs) were conducted with Key Informants (KIs) for data collection. Responses from field study are merged with other primary and secondary sources of data to provide an incisive and balanced analysis that is premised on political realism. Results: Findings indicate that Nigeria’s international generosity and leadership role has never been predicated on a clear vision of national interest. Notwithstanding the flaws in Nigeria’s foreign policy over the years, this study also discovered that the outcome has not been a total failure as some respondents maintain. Conclusions: With the nation’s gravitation towards citizen-centred diplomacy, it is hoped that the country will put the interest of its citizens first in her policy pursuits.

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Beyond Criminal Prosecutions: Alternatives and Adjuncts

Ojo-Adewuyi

2024

International Criminal Justice Series

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Africas leadership challenges in the 21st century: A Nigerian perspective

Cited by 11 publications

References 4 publications

Imperative of Leadership Education in Africa's Quest for Global Development Space

Imperative of Leadership Education in Africa's Quest for Global Development Space

Afrocentrism, national interest and citizen welfare in Nigeria’s foreign policy maneuvers

Beyond Criminal Prosecutions: Alternatives and Adjuncts

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