A Philosophy of Development in the African Context

A philosophy of development in the African context is all about the processes by which the African countries can create and recreate themselves and their sustainable life in order to realize higher levels of civilization but on the premise of their own choices and values. The philosophy of 'development' is so controversial on the continent of Africa; especially that it is considered as a way of perpetuation of poverty and underdevelopment by the Western capitalist states. It is important to highlight that in most African nations the development discourse is driven on the platform of a comprehensive literature from the western capitalist that has remained static as the philosophy of development keeps evolving as people and society develop.The economic growth rates due to industrialization has not in anyway moved the poor from poverty and underdevelopment even with the ‘trickle-down’ theories of redistribution of the benefits of development and the need for structural adjustment programmes towards growing concerns for ‘human development. Since the 1990s, both the theory and practices of development have evolved over time as the debate and paradigm remain critically contentious.