ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the key concepts discussed in the preceding chapters in this book. The book discusses the case studies that present a variegated picture of public participation in constitution-making in Africa. Against the backdrop of these disparate case studies, the question to be answered in this book is whether public participation in constitution-making can be said to have helped advance the cause of constitutionalism in Africa. The case studies covered in this book, the successive failed attempts at constitutional revision in Zambia and Zimbabwe's two contrasting experiences of constitution-making illustrate the importance of who initiates. In Zambia, the promise of a “people-driven constitution” has remained a promise unredeemed, in part because successive presidents have followed longstanding tradition and practice in Zambia whereby constitution-making exercises are set in motion. Zimbabwe's 1999–2000 constitution-making process was initiated by President Robert Mugabe, invoking his powers under the Commissions of Inquiry Act.
