Creation of Administrative Capability: The Missing Ingredient in Development Strategy

This chapter describes the crucial importance of increasing the administrative capability (operational effectiveness) of national, regional and local governments if development is to be accelerated in Africa. Not many strategies or plans for economic and social development feature this essential requisite. They fail to recognise and respond realistically to the cultural obstacles and difficult managerial tasks entailed in moving from a collection of static, subsistence-oriented societies to a national state committed to economic growth and ‘modernisation’ — in both rural and rapidly urbanising areas.