Sociology: Africa's Political Terrain and Sociological Perspectives

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SOCIOLOGY
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Introduction
The previous decade and half in Africa’s recent history has been signified by certain
dramatic and major developments on the continent’s political terrain. These developments have
been as diverse as they have been conflicting. According to Chitando and Tarusarira (2019),
Africa has capably contributed as major source of confrontation to political theory as different
schools of thought struggle with in relation to their dimension as well as implication. Ocloo,
Akaba and Worwui-Brown (2014) have noted that there is no proper consensus on the highly
appropriate approach for interpreting the developments which have been occurring in the
structure of the content along with the dynamics of African politics. The divergence of the
alterations at on one occasion stirring anticipations and further generating anguish has polarized
the intellectual and policy communities into Afro-optimist and Afro-pessimist groups. The
changes which have been taken place on the African political context over the past decade have
been highly multidimensional. Seth (2013) has noted that the primary changes have occurred as
much at the level of formal politics as in the domain of the informal processes which tend to
underpin the political system of the nation. The following research paper will critically analyse
the positionality or social and political context of Africa and particularly Nigeria through
sociological perspectives.
Discussion
Africa’s positionality and relevant challenges faced by the continent
The transitional process has listed vital shifts in African politics which requires adequate
support for their significance in Africa’s post independence history. Rowntree et al. (2015) have

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noted that of these developments the most crucial has been the support of multi-party liberal
constitutional framework for managing political competition, development and pluralisation of
the public space, the open argument of strategies for governing national diversities in addition to
the emergence into reputation of non-state actors. Moreover authors have noted that with the
investments which have been made by diverse groups in the project of democratic reform being
incompetent to capitulate some of the socio-economic dividends which could have been
anticipated (Ocloo, Akaba & Worwui-Brown, 2014).
The challenges of globalization for Africa are highly intense. Reports of Asongu (2014)
have claimed that globalization will continue to strengthen the interdependencies between
different countries and regions. It can further reinforce the association between the advance
nations and the rest of the world. Additionally the reform efforts of the African nations will need
to continue to be promoted by sufficient financing of concessional terms. Moreover the challenge
encountering the developing world along with African countries in particular is to outline public
policies in order to increase the potential benefits from globalization and further to reduce the
downside threats of these stabilization on marginalization. However, none of these regulations
have been established recently and majority of the African nations have been applying them for
some time. Moreover in the view of Odeh and Okoye (2014), particularly Sub-Saharan Africa
has made considerable advancement towards a macroeconomic stability whereby there has been
witnessed a continuous development in overall growth performance. On the other hand, the
restructuring of many African financial systems has been gaining momentum since the last few
years. According to Rowntree et al. (2015), throughout the continent government involvement in
economic performance has been on the refuse where administrative price regulations have been
condensed. Odeh and Okoye (2014) have noted that the process of reformation and privatizing

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state enterprises have been in progress for certain period of time in majority of countries do with
different speed and extent of success. Reports of Chitando and Tarusarira (2019) have mentioned
that African Nations have been taking form steps towards rationalizing there tax systems and
further to decrease exemptions rate and also to improve the efficiency level of the administration.
On the other hand, Africa has been aiming to reorient costs and expenditures from uneconomical
expenses to an improved public in investment and spending on major social services specifically
in the domain of health and primary education (Rowntree et al., 2015).
Asongu (2014) has highlighted several challenges to governance in Africa. These issues
have been persistent to obstruct the efficiency and productivity of governance on the continent.
According to authors destabilized governance over the time has led to critical consumption,
lack of management of the commonwealth of people along with reduced basic
amenities and shortage of economic growth and opportunities. However the issue concerning of
political leaders has been identified as a major problem of governance in Africa. According to
Ocloo, Akaba and Worwui-Brown ( 2014) several governments elected for a fixed term of 5
years in addition to a maximum of two tenures have used to relinquish democracy. Moreover, it
has been stated by authors that some have been in power for over three decades while some over
25 years and so on.
Rowntree et al. (2015) have claimed that these political leaders have been persistent in
applying on types of lawful as well as unlawful strategies in order to perfect with them in power
while their country and its citizens continue to face immense sufferings. On the other hand
comprehensive studies of Seth (2013) have claimed over centralization to be another critical
problem of governance in Africa. In the view of authors the ways in which the African
government has been structured signifies at most power to the middle level organisation. Ocloo,