ABSTRACT
This chapter interrogates the issue of accountable governance in Africa. It examines the notion of accountable governance, its typology and dimensions; the genealogy of the problem of unaccountable governance in Africa; the limitations of elections in promoting accountable governance; and proposes some elements and variables that should be considered in promoting accountable governance in Africa. The chapter argues that accountable governance may relate to, but is not synonymous with, liberal democracy and the architecture of accountable governance can differ in time and space, and across countries. It contends that the issue of ethical behaviour in public life, the nature of the state and the capacity of its institutions, and party and electoral processes may play crucial roles in facilitating the culture of accountable governance in Africa. Accountable governance provides a major step forward in the process of economic development, democratic stability, and consolidation and social transformation in Africa.
