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ISSN : ISSN: 1744-2532 E-ISSN: 2516-5305
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It is very much in order to set-out my editorial commentary of this African Renaissance publication Volume 17, Number 2, June 2020, by wishing all and sundry well in this COVID-19 pandemic times. True, coronavirus may have come to stay- as is being touted by political leaders globally – but its probable hardship to human conditions could not weigh us down not to see that this edition of the African Renaissance go public. Besides, this coronavirus epoch also present some measure of scholarly boost as an element of intellectual propensity which will greatly help to further the aims and objectives of the African Renaissance journal. What do I mean? The precarious developmental level Africa found herself before the outbreak of the virus called for serious and plentiful scholarly engagements across all fields of study to rebirth the continent in its development strides. How much more then under a COVID-19 pandemic era that has assumed the euphemism for radical social life style changes and mass deaths typical in war, drought and starvation periods.
Even though the topics explored in this Edition do not speak directly to an African renaissance project a la mitigating COVID-19 pandemic, the discourses do so by indirect deduction. Take for instance the opening article entitled “Assessing the Theoretical Underpinning of Nigeria’s Quest for a Permanent United Nations Security Council Seat”. The authors’ indirectly speak avidly to the absence of an African voice in the most powerful agency of the United Nations. This implies that none permanent seat of Nigeria or any other African country in the Security Council suggests the continent continues to play peripheral roles in the politics to combat COVID-19 for example at that level. Hence, the article’s insights on how to achieve a permanent seat for Nigeria in the Security Council is ultimately an ambition to ensure Africa has a voice in the scheme of mitigating the global pandemic amongst other world affairs and optimally adapt Africans to the virus. The article entitled “The Role of Zimbabwe Parliament in its Inter-Face with The Executive in Foreign Policy Decision-Making: The Case of Zimbabwe’s Withdrawal from the Commonwealth” also should be likened to the pursuit of strengthening Africa’s place in international affairs towards garnering relevancy in global affairs such as combating coronavirus.
The second and third articles in this Edition continue the further exploration of insurgency and devastations to human security that the Boko Haram terrorist group carry on. It is clear from these discourses that insurgency constitutes a theme to why Africa may diminish further into underdevelopment and thereby be consumed by COVID-19 if not addressed forthwith. The abovementioned point also applies to the article on “Globalization: a Discourse of Progression or Retrogression for work in the Nigerian Manufacturing Industry, Lagos State”. What these three intellectual treaties in this Edition draw attention to is the need to further examine the internal workings of governance strategies towards curtailing insurgency and globalization’s negative impartations on the continent that ab initio still dwells in a peripheral space in world affairs.
Within the context of my opening remarks on COVID-19 and the African continent’s renaissance, Moraka Arthur Shopola’s and Munyaradzi Ricky Mukonza’s work about inter-government relations is another interesting read in line with addressing the present pandemic confronting the globe. The article’s thesis-of-thesis by deductive reasoning suggests that an efficient and effective inter-government coordination, collaboration and cooperation using the Mopani District Municipality of South Africa as case study is a sine qua non for addressing pandemic situations. The paper on “Migration, the Socio-Economic and Political Development: The South African Experience” is also another very engaging topic that indirectly highlights how migration context adds to the overall issue of coronavirus spread and its eradication. Given that the process of migrants’ survival is an issue usually under the purview of an inter-government coordinative legislative and executive government plan of action terrain, it follows then that these two papers in this Edition actually helps to strengthen an impression of how and what African countries need to do to overcome underdevelopment in a pandemic time.
The articles on food security and economic cum financial prosperity in Nigeria and Zimbabwe respectively are correct to stress the imperativeness of these variables in line with mitigating Africa’s underdevelopment ultimately and coronavirus eradication indirectly. Food security and Zimbabwe’s current leader’s scorecard in the economic front are two critical factor that Africa needs to consider and reconsider both in her developmental pursuits as well as in addressing pandemics like COVID-19. That these articles appear in the African Renaissance’s June 2020 Edition is a testament that the journal is committed to its intrinsic objective which is akin to reversing underdevelopment to development in the African socio-political and economic spaces.
What more that needs to be said borders on appreciation. First and foremost, I want to appreciate the authors whose articles appear in this Edition. Ordinarily, one would have thought that the lockdowns in the countries where all the authors reside, work and stay were enough to undermine research. Who would have thought that judicious correction/attention and revision of the reviewers’ comments would be attended to appropriately under the coronavirus induced lockdowns. But the evidence that these contributors to this Edition weather the storm, brace up to the task of publishing in the Edition and pursued their research intent to this logical conclusion is worthy of praise. Thumb up to you the contributors. You guys inspire me to know that no “virus” or pandemic is big enough to overwhelm the desire to publish one’s research.
It is also proper I appreciate the reviewers who equally did not allow COVID-19 context to disable their intellectual and editorial composure to safeguard quality of the contributions to this Edition. Thank you the reviewers for your steadfastness also in the aspect of proof reading the amended works and ensuring that the reviewers’ comments were adhered to by the authors. Cheers to you all. I also seize this medium to thank the administrative staff for their various well-played roles to see that this Edition hits the public space. All in all, I urge everyone connected to bringing alive this Edition to a logical conclusion to remain safe, eat healthy, maintain social distancing and adhere to all other public regulations to combat spread of coronavirus and not be affected by the disease.
Professor Victor Ojakorotu
School of Government Studies
North West University, Mafikeng
South Africa