Klobucista, Claire. “Africa's 'Leaders for Life'.” Council on Foreign Relations. Foreign Affairs, Council on Foreign Relations, June 30, 2021. ttps://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/africas-leaders-life.

This article provides an overview of African presidents' mandates that have been stopped (at times) from pro-democracy. The author argues that authoritarian power is trending in Africa at an accelerating rate. The text informs that since the 1960s, dozens of heads of state across sub-Saharan Africa have held office for more than thirty years.

Johannes Knierzinger

Senior Lecturer

Contact:

Institute for International Development

Sensengasse 3/2/2

1090 Vienna

johannes. knierzinger@univie.ac.at

Knierzinger, Johannes. "Chieftaincy and development in Ghana: From political intermediaries to neotraditional development brokers. "Department of Anthropology and African Studies of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 124 (2011).

The article posits that traditional authority figures are today best referred to as neo-traditional actors who are involved in the development of Ghana. These actors comprise of stool fathers, elders, linguists, development chiefs, chiefs, and queen mothers. There is an intersection between chieftaincy, politics, and development. Politics and development go hand in hand because when chiefs are concerned with the development of their areas, they are indirectly doing politics as they charge on government of the day to bring development to their communities. Chiefs are still popular because the institution is credited with the ability to adapt to change and fluidity as a neo-traditional system. The Chiefly elite is part of the political elite in Ghana performing functions such as dispute settlement, custodians of land, repository of customary law and ensuring community participation in development. They are development brokers who lobby international agencies and government for projects to be brought to their communities. Chiefs use social capital; social networks, maintain relationships between them and the government. Chiefs shifted focus to development agents because of their reduce roles in formal politics.

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Knierzinger, Johannes. "The Chiefs of Development." Local Development and Local Government in Ghana. Doctoral dissertation, Uniwien, Germany, 2009.

The author argues that the chieftaincy institution in Ghana is very popular and a part of the ‘elite’ political formation of Ghana. This institution is sometimes used as an agent of conflict and an instrument of elite formation. The author refers to a range of traditional leaders such as chiefs, queen mothers, elders, linguists as neotraditional actors who are involved in politics of the state and have succeeded in retaining power especially at the local level. These actors interact with other elites such as businessmen, politicians and development agencies. The author argues that there is an intersection between chieftaincy, politics, and development and this has transformed the chieftaincy institution into a neotraditional system. The transformation of neotraditional actors has led to their involvement in development.

Kobi Van Rensburg

Tenor and opera director

South Africa

naxos.com/person/Kobie_van_Rensburg/54324.htm

Marlène Koffi

Assistant Professor in Economics, University of Toronto

Email: marlene.koffi@utoronto.ca

Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC)

Peacekeeping Training Centre

Accra, Ghana

kaiptc.org

Description:

The KAIPTC undertakes training and research in peace-keeping and support operations and it is one of the Peacekeeping and Peace Support Operations in Africa.

Amadou Kone

Academic/Writer, Professor of Francophone Literature and African Cultural Studies at Georgetown University, USA

loc.gov/item/webcast-6188/

gufaculty360.georgetown.edu/s/contact/00336000014RiIzAAK/amadou-kone

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