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This Discussion Paper is based on a theoretical exploration of
state reconstruction and the prospects for peacebuilding in
post-conflict West African countries based on critical reflections
on the political thought of Claude Ake, one of Nigeria's foremost
political thinkers. Its point of departure is the refutation of the
view that the state project in Africa is 'hopeless' or at a
dead-end. It therefore revisits the debate on the viability of the
state project in the continent, particularly as it relates to those
West African states emerging from or affected by violent conflict.
While acknowledging the shortcomings of the state-formation project
in some post-conflict West African countries, the author argues
that the state remains a key institutional and social actor that
needs to be understood more in terms of its historical moorings,
political economy and marginal position in the international order.
Drawing on Ake's postulations about the limited autonomy of the
state in Africa and its links to political violence and conflict,
the author critiques both the hegemonic discourses on the nature of
the state in Africa and those relating to post-conflict
peacebuilding in the continent. The analysis of the latter focuses
on the epistemological groundings of mainstream peacebuilding
discourses, and posits that there is no guarantee that such
imported models ensure sustainable peace in West Africa. Thus, the
paper makes a compelling case for reinventing the state in West
Africa based on autochthonous democratic transformation in favour
of ordinary people. In this regard, it argues for an endogenous
transformation of the state in Africa in ways that can strongly
root it in the people as a fundamental step towards sustainable and
locally owned participatory peacebuilding. It thereby opens up a
new perspective on state reconstruction as a step towards ending
violent conflict in the sub-region.
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