Reflections on the challenge of reconstructing post-conflict states in West Africa

Abstract

This paper addresses a theoretical gap on state-transformation as a step towards sustainable peace, and discusses the relevance of Ake’s political thought for state-reconstruction in post-conflict West Africa. It underscores the need for the autochthonous transformation of the state as a central component of Peacebuilding and post-conflict transition on the continent, as Ake had suggested. Drawing on illustrations from two West African cases – Sierra Leone and Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta – it explores Ake’s works on ‘the state in Africa’ against the backdrop of ‘externally driven state-reconstruction projects’ hinged on global hegemonic discourses on nation-building in post-conflict situations.