DEMOCRACY AND POLITICAL CHANGE IN SUB SAHARAN AFRICA

INTERNAL FACTORS WITHIN THE STATES OF SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA HAVE BEEN THE MAIN REASON BEHIND THE MOVEMENT TOWARDS DEMOCRACY SINCE THE LATE 1980S. WHILST CHANGES IN THE GLOBAL POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT HAVE PLAYED A ROLE, IT HAS BEEN THE DETERMINATION OF PEOPLE WITHIN THE STATES CONCERNED WHO HAVE PROVIDED THE MAIN IMPETUS FOR CHANGE. THIS TEXT AIMS TO PROVIDE THE STUDENT WITH A SET OF CASE STUDIES COVERING A DIVERSE RANGE OF AFRICAN STATES IN ORDER TO IDENTIFY THE MAJOR CAUSES OF RECENT CHANGE, THE PROGRESS MADE SO FAR AND WHAT THE PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE MIGHT BE. THE CASE STUDIES RANGE FROM STATES LIKE NIGERIA AND UGANDA, WHERE THE TRANSITION TO MULTI-PARTYISM HAS NOT OCCURRED, TO THOSE LIKE MALAWI, MALI AND ZAMBIA WHERE A DEMOCRATIC CHANGE OF GOVERNMENT HAS ALREADY TAKEN PLACE. CASE STUDIES OF COTE D'IVOIRE, ERITREA, ETHIOPIA AND GHANA PRESENT A MORE AMBIVALENT PICTURE.