An African Perspective on Global Governance

This chapter examines the challenging idea of an African perspective on global governance. The extraordinary diversity of continental Africa in terms of religious beliefs, political institutions, social structures, and economic outlooks makes it a daunting task to discern a distinct African perspective. To avoid overgeneralization, homogenization, and essentialization of the different views that may exist, the chapter focuses on the African Union (AU) to represent a collective African position on global governance, arguing that global governance is thus viewed in relational terms. In this context, the steering capacity (i.e. governance) is the responsibility of the entire community and not the responsibility of a select few. This collectivist-driven conception of global governance is reflected in the way African states seek to exercise their agency on global issues and in the global system. The relational idea adds another dimension to the rationalistic ideas embedded in conventional narratives of global governance.