African Politics and the Role of the Church

Abstract

African states face difficult choices for their citizens, indeed for their own future. In most countries, public policies have shown to be inadequate. Observers underline a few causes: the lack of legal institutions that would guide on the path of good governance, the lack of integrity by political leaders, and the departure from the values of good governance of local traditions. The church could help by taking a prophetic role: by being more consistently involved in advocacy and civil education, by engaging politicians on issues of transparency and accountability, and offering support to policy makers through adequate training in skills of social analysis.