Without being ‘pessimistic in diagnosis’ and ‘optimistic in prescription,’ the African state has failed to develop despite its declared commitment and preoccupation with development. The prospects of meeting the millennium development goals (MDGs)-one of which is poverty alleviation - get dim as the year 2015 draws near consequently making the United Nations to summon an emergency summit. The number of poor in sub Saharan Africa is expected to rise from 314 million in 2001 to 366 million in 2015.

There is need to distinguish between “relative poverty” and “absolute poverty.” While relative poverty suggests that People are judged to be poor if they are poor in comparison to those around them (implying that the meaning of poverty changes from time to time and place to place), absolute poverty implies an objective even scientific notion. On the other hand, the basic needs approach emphasizes lack of basic needs such as shelter, food and clothing as manifestations of poverty negating the fact that needs could be dynamic and change from time to time and place to place.

Buthelezi S. in The Social Architecture of a Developmental State: A Preliminary Characterization (unpublished paper) argues that the viability of the post colonial state in dealing with poverty is questionable given its subservience to the demands of international capital, multilateral financial and trade regimes as well as structural adjustment programs leading to the recompradorisation of the state in Africa. Structural adjustment programs have reduced the power of nation states and lost their capacity and legitimacy in dealing with the social development of the continent. With the transnationalisation of economic activities, more decisions affecting Africa are made anonymously in distant places by agents we don’t know.

The first decades of independence saw a period of endless experimentation with various policies and strategies aimed at bringing about socio-economic development in least developed countries (LDCS). However, the end result has been the same, leading some social scientists to conclude that development theories are in a crisis of bankruptcy. The South African presidency summed up the African policy crisis at the national level in South Africa:

“It is a sad reality to note that despite all these efforts, intergovernmental integration and coordination has remained a distant ideal, resulting in the desired developmental outcomes only being partially realized. This in turn, has resulted in the continuation of the inequalities, inefficiencies and wastage of the apartheid space economy, seriously compromising the daily livability and long-term sustainability of our settlements”

Why, after four decades and billions of dollars in foreign aid, has Africa in general failed to develop? Why, despite the talent, the natural resources, agricultural and tourism potential and a declared commitment to development?

Mjedo Mkandawire in Poverty and Macroeconomic Management in Malawi posits that poverty is not a new phenomenon. “…the question is that poverty still persists after post colonial governments efforts, major reasons could be that the economic and social progress has been poorly managed, the development objectives aspirations, policies and strategies have been conceived by public sector officials with little or no consultation, with the target groups of development  both in rural and urban areas with organizations in the private sectors and NGO a reflection of low capacity macroeconomic management”

Many African Countries (several years after the advent of democracy) still need poverty alleviation strategy. This is manifest in the policy crisis that has been unfolding since independence. Policy after policy and strategy after strategy have been formulated and implemented but the majority of the populations are still trapped in the vicious cycle of poverty. One wonders whether it is due to lack of precision in policy formulation or implementation bottlenecks that poverty eradication still remains a ‘mere goal’. This is very disturbing given the expectations of the masses upon the dawn of a new era of independence of Africa 

Post colonial Africa’s continual grappling with the poverty crisis could be attributed to the poor management of economic and social progress, conception of development objectives, aspirations, policies and strategies by public sector officials with little or no consultation with the target groups of development and relevant stakeholders.

One can therefore hypothesize that the policy crisis has led to a poverty crisis which further entangles the rural poor in the vicious circle of poverty hence the urgent call for a developmental state.

Towards a Developmental State

While ideological component of developmental states implies a ‘developmentalist’ state pursuing economic development, the structural component emphasizes institutional, technical, administrative and political capacity for efficient and effective policy implementation. A developmental state may be simply defined as a state whose primary goal and commitment is the accomplishment of developmental goals, while development is defined as a far reaching transformation of society’s economic, social and political structure, of the dominant organization of production, distribution and consumption.

A state is developmental when it is has established as its principle of legitimacy its ability to promote and sustain development and a far reaching transformation of society’s economic, social, political and cultural structure. Moreover a developmental State’s vision, leadership and capacity does not sacrifice policies, programs and projects on the altar of political expediency but rather it puts national development first and personal aggrandizement last.

A developmental state for Africa, therefore, goes beyond a ‘parasitical state’, ‘kloptocratic state,’ ‘crony state’, ‘overextended state’, ‘patrimonial state’ and ‘predatory state.’  Such a State will put national development first and political expediency last.