ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to preliminarily assess the state of the democratization enterprise in Africa. Democratization is the process of creating an enabling environment in a policy that allows people at all levels to exercise control and authority over their own affairs, without the intrusion of state terror and counterproductive policies. Democracy is the final product of democratization. Based on the theoretical literature, three models of democratization can be delineated: the liberal democratic, the social democratic and the socialist models. The constituents of the liberal democratic model are primarily political; nevertheless, the literature makes an inextricable link between the model and a market economic system. The political liberalization has focused almost exclusively on constitutional processes, while neglecting critical issues such as the nature and dynamics of the neo-colonial state and basic human needs—employment, education and job training, housing, food and access to adequate health services.
