Constitutionalism and Governance in Africa

Abstract

Colonialism was a mercantile pact, designed to enhance the ability of Europeans to subjugate Africans and exploit the latter’s enormous resources for the benefit of the former. As a consequence, the laws and institutions brought to the African colonies by the Europeans were not structured to enhance the ability of Africans to govern themselves or allocate their resources in an efficient and equitable manner. Colonial institutional arrangements were imposed on the Africans primarily to maximize the objectives of the Europeans in the colonies and the métropole.