The major focus of the book is an examination of the efforts being made by democratizing states in Africa to reconstitute the postcolonial state, so that it can become relevant to the needs and aspirations of the majority of the peoples of Africa. Using seven democratizing states in Africa as case studies, the book specifically examines three major interrelated issues: the multifaceted crises of state building in Africa; the efforts to democratically reconstitute the postcolonial state in Africa; and the proffering of suggestions to help address the challenges posed by the state reconstitution project.

Contributors to this volume highlight the failure and socio-economic and political problems of post-colonial African state and make constructive and convincing suggestions of how the problems can be addressed. They do not argue for the scrapping of the state but its reconstitution in ways that will enable it to be people's-oriented.