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Introduction
The progress of sub-Saharan Africa has often been blighted by negative elements: wars, famine, droughts, illiteracy, diseases, afflictions and, lately, terrorism. All these are traceable (either directly or indirectly) to failure of leadership. It is trite that the kind of leadership a country has will determine the extent of its progress (whether positively or negatively). This is also a function of the institutions of government entrenched and the system of government operated in such a country. Where the country operates a governance system that is antithetical to political and economic development, such a country will have an endless cycle of retrogression and under-development.
The purpose of this paper is to mirror the basic tenets of democracy and good governance and how they can lead to tangible poverty reduction in sub-Saharan Africa.
THE MEANING OF “GOOD GOVERNANCE”
Khan, Mushtaq Husain (Professor, School of Oriental and African Studies, London) sees good governance as: “The effective management of a country’s social and economic resources in a manner that is open, transparent, accountable and equitable.”
To Wikipedia (the free online Encyclopaedia), good governance is: “an indeterminate term used in development literature to describe how public institutions conduct public affairs and manage public resources in order to guarantee the realization of human rights.”
Yet another view is that of Dr. Palamagamba John Kabudi (Faculty of Law, University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Good Governance: Definition And Implications), presents good governance: “as a concept has steadily entrenched itself in the political and development discourse. It has permeated all sectors and become part of the common shared principles and virtues of different countries in the world. It has attained universality as an indicator of adherence to democracy and rule of law.”
The United Nations Fund for Women (UNIFEM) goes a step further in by defining good governance as: “a subset of governance, wherein public resources and problems are managed effectively, efficiently and in response to critical needs of society. Effective democratic forms of governance rely on public participation, accountability and transparency.”
To the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) good governance: “has eight major characteristics. It is participatory, consensus-oriented, accountable, transparent, responsive, effective and efficient, equitable and inclusive and follows the rule of law. It assures that corruption is minimized, the views of minorities are taken into account and that the voices of the most vulnerable in society are heard in decision-making’’.
According to H.W.R. Wade, in his book “Administrative Law: (Oxford: Oxford Press in 1983)”, good governance cannot be divorced from social justice and the rule of law. He opined that: “for every citizen in democratic state, it is vital that all powers of state, should be exercised in a way conformable to their ideas of liberty, fair dealing and good administration’’. These feelings of citizens resulted in the practice of maintaining ‘rule of law’ accountability, and transparency’ in administration the basic components of good governance in any democratic society/country”.
The United Nations Developmental Programme’s (UNDP) gives a more elaborate definition of good governance as follows: “Governance can be seen as the exercise of economic, political and administrative authority to manage a country’s affairs at all levels. It comprises the mechanisms, processes and institutions through which citizens and groups articulate their interests, exercise their legal rights, meet their obligations and mediate their differences. Good governance is, among other things, participatory, transparent and accountable. It is also effective and equitable. And it promotes the rule of law. Good governance ensures that political, social and economic priorities are based on broad consensus in society and that the voices of the poorest and the most vulnerable are heard in decision-making over the allocation of development resources (Governance for Sustainable Human Development; A UNDP Policy Document http://mirror.undp.org/magnet/policy/chapter1.htm retrieved on 17-6-11)”.
From above, one can posit that good governance is the institutional framework whereby the leadership and citizens of a country synergize by way of the citizen electing leaders who are in turn, accountable to them by taking into cognizance the societal needs, and implementing policies towards the growth, development and progress of the country.
THE CONCEPT OF GOOD GOVERNANCE
The concept of good governance, therefore is not new or novel. It is as old as human civilization. Simply put, according to Coleman (Coleman, J. (1965). Nigeria Background to Nationalism. Angeles. University of California), governance means the process of decision making and the process by which decisions are implemented (or not implemented). Governance has been described as an approach or perspective that focuses on state, societal institutions and the relationship between them as well as on how rules are made in a society which are accepted as legitimate to enhance values that are sought by individuals and groups within the society. Governance has also been identified with the founding values and constitutional policies that constitute the nature of governing institutions, guide their actions, and shape the complex relations between them and the society:
Public management based on principles of good governance as one that attempts to improve the system of government, to emphasize efficiency and responsibility for all institutions; to promote democratic principles and to establish a new relationship between government and civil society. According to Downer (Alexander Downer (2000) – Good Governance: Guiding Principles for Implementation, Canberra: the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID).), good governance is the process whereby public institutions conduct public affairs, manage public resources and guarantee the realization of human rights. Good governance accomplishes this in a manner essentially free of abuse and corruption, and with due regard for the rule of law.
THE TRUE TEST OF GOOD GOVERNANCE
From the above definitions and the concept of governance, it is clear that the true test of good governance is the degree to which it delivers on the promise of human rights; civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights. Hence Conable (Conable, B.B (1997). “Reflection on Africa, the priority of Six – year Africa in Economic Development’’ An Address Delivered by the President of the World Bank, September 26, 1987), views Good Governance as the exercise of power or authority, political, economic, administrative or otherwise to mange a country’s processes and institutions through which citizens and groups articulate their interests, excise, their legal rights and harmonise their differences. The United Nations Human Development Report (UN Human Development Report (2004) – Poverty Date on Progress Toward Achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Albania: National Report 2004) pointed out that governance has two faces: first, the leadership which has responsibilities derived from the principles of effective governmental organizations. Second, the governed, that is the citizens, who are responsible for making relevant inputs to the socio-economic and political affairs of their society. In Other words, governance is a relationship between rulers and the ruled, the state and the society, the governors, and the governed.
It is important that the two principal actors be as close as possible to ensure the legitimacy, accountability, credibility and responsiveness of the rulers and the effective participation, corruption and responsiveness of the ruled is achieved. An important aspect of the relationship within and between the two components of governance is the change that usually occurs. For instance, laws regulating certain behaviours and activities may sometimes change. Where these changes become too frequent, without well thought out appraisals, instability results and this may paralyze operations.
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GOOD GOVERNANCE DIFFERS FROM COUNTRY TO COUNTRY
Various countries that are quite similar in terms of their natural resources and social structure have shown very different performance in improving the welfare of their people. Much of this is attributable to standards of governance which may stifle and impede development. In countries, where there is corruption, poor control of public funds, lack of accountability, abuses of human rights and excessive military influence, development inevitably suffers. Michels (Michels, R. 91962). Political Parties, A Sociological Study of the Oligarchic Tendencies of Modern Democracy New York: The Free Pres.) states that government is one of the actors in governance.
According to Regina .O. Arisi and Ukadike, O. J, other actors involved in governance vary, depending on the level of government that is under discussion. In rural areas for example, other actors may include influential landlords, associations of peasant farmers, cooperatives, NGOs, research institutes, religious leaders, financial institutions, political parties, the military, etc. Similarly, Odion-Akhaine (Odion-Akhaine, S (2008). “The Political Economy of Good Governance and Transparency.’’ Odion Akhaine, Sylvester (ED). Lagos: Spectrum Book Ltd.), opines that formal government structures constitute one means by which decisions are arrived at and implemented. At the national level, informal decision making structures such as “Kitchen Cabinets’’, or formal advisor may exist.
In some rural areas, powerful families may make or influence decision making. Such informal decision making is often the results of corrupt practices or leads to bad governance.
MAJOR GOOD GOVERNANCE INDICATORS
According to UNESCAPE (UNESCAPE (2008) – Poverty and Development Division Good Governance, UN Web Site Locator), good governance has eight major characteristics. They are:
• Participatory by both men and women which is the key to good governance.
• The next is the rule of law which requires fair legal frameworks that are enforced impartially. It also requires full protection of human rights, particularly those of minorities. Impartial enforcement of laws requires an independent judiciary and incorruptible police force.
• The third point is transparency which means that decisions taken and their enforcement are done in a manner that follows rules and regulations.
• The fourth is responsiveness which means that good governance requires that institutions and processes try to serve all stakeholders within a reasonable timeframe.
• The fifth characteristic is consensus orientation. Good governance requires mediation of the different interests in society to reach a broad consensus in society on what is in the best interest of the whole community and how this can be achieved. It also requires a broad and long-term perspective on what is needed for sustainable human development and how to achieve the goals of such development.
• The sixth characteristic is equity and inclusiveness. A society’s well being depends on ensuring that all its members feel that they have a stake in it and do not feel excluded from the mainstream of society. This requires all groups, but particularly the most vulnerable, have opportunities to improve or maintain their well being.
• The seventh characteristic is effectiveness and efficiency. Good governance means that processes and institutions produce results that meet the needs of society while making the best use of resources at their disposal. The concept of efficiency in the context of good governance also covers the sustainable use of natural resources and the protection of the environment.
• The last characteristic of good governance is accountability. It is a key requirement of good governance, not only governmental institutions, but also the private sector and civil society organizations.
Conclusively, good governance is an ideal which is difficult to achieve in its totality. Very few countries and society have come close to achieving good governance in its totality. However, to ensure sustainable human development, actions must be taken to work towards this ideal with the aim of making it a reality. (To be continued).
Thought for the week
“We have to be bold in our national ambitions. First, we must win the fight against poverty within the next decade. Second, we must improve moral standards in government and society to provide a strong foundation for good governance. Third, we must change the character of our politics to promote fertile ground for reforms”.
– Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
