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Despite Africa’s endowment of natural and human resources, it still struggles with the inherent problems of governance, corruption, lack of transparency and accountability, insecurity, poverty, malnutrition, the re-emergence of military interventions, mediocrity in government, disregard for the rule of law, and fundamental human rights. These ugly conditions have adverse implications for Africa’s economic growth and distort public spending, as well as undermine domestic revenue mobilization for sustainable development. Currently, Africa faces multiple crises emanating from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war, and the ongoing challenges of climate change, which have collectively impugned its efforts to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs). This precarious condition in which Africa finds itself brings to the fore the need for Africa to embrace good governance and consolidate her democracy. One of the indicators of consolidated democracy is good governance, which in the long run reduces vulnerabilities to corruption, improves service delivery both in the private and public realms, increases access to information, and promotes institutions and civil society organizations to make governments more responsible. However, in Africa, the reality is that democracy suffers limitations that undermine good governance. Although Africa has a long and chequered history, its progress and development are dogged by challenges, including leadership problems, an absence of the rule of law, and insecurity, among others. To address these problems and enhance sustainable development in Africa, several measures, including the digitalization of public services, machinery for good governance, the establishment of anti-corruption agencies, and partnerships and collaborations against climate change and terrorism, have been taken by most African countries. Indeed, through these measures, some African countries have begun to see the transformation of their economies and improved service delivery in the public realm. Some of these measures allow the public or citizens to connect with or relate with their government on national issues, which can in turn contribute to the continent’s sustainable development. Although these measures often draw attention and are commended, they also raise doubts about their sustainability and utility value. As most African countries lack the capacity for proper implementation of measures that can meaningfully contribute to the development of the continent, this is partly because some African leaders lack the political will to take action that can transform the continent from the hardships of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing war in Russia and Ukraine. This is because in today’s regional governance systems, proactive responses or decisions by the government underlie the functioning of societies. Although developments continue to broaden the function and nature of African governments, African leaders are still expected to draw on good governance and strong democratic principles to boost rapid development and progress on the continent. However, evidence has noted fundamental gaps in the recruitment process of African leaders and the quality of their governance or leadership vis-à-vis the increasing developmental challenges on the continent. Today, some African countries are still struggling to conduct credible and transparent elections, which can enhance the recruitment of competent and integrity-minded leaders. Africa still hosts countries with records or cases of violent elections, abuse of human rights, absence of due process in public procurement, and lack of public trust in government, among others. There have been efforts and interventions purposively aimed at tackling Africa’s inherent challenges. While some of these challenges have yielded little or no positive results, Africa needs a re-think of the best approaches, especially those largely rooted in the African context, to address its numerous challenges. African Renaissance offers the best opportunity, where African issues and challenges can be adequately discussed and African solutions offered. It allows researchers, academics, and scholars of African background to intellectually debate African problems through the publication of well-researched articles. Over the years, African Renaissance has continually published peer-reviewed articles that discuss contemporary African issues. This current issue is a collection of well-researched articles that largely discuss issues and challenges facing Africa. It covers multi-disciplinary articles that cover the critical areas of public finance, corruption, leadership, reforms in public service, and the harsh conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic: democracy, political economy, political networking, governance, and public management, among others. The need to have stable, robust, and consolidated democracy in Africa, as well as promote good governance, transparency, accountability, and healthy waste management, form the basis of discussion in the current issue of the African Renaissance. It aimed specifically at providing adequate information on how Africa can achieve good governance and improve its strategies for recruiting its leaders using an Afrocentric approach. This current issue specifically advances knowledge and understanding on how Africa can re-think its strategies towards sustainable development, to include a merit-based electioneering process, effective punishment measures against corruption, the design of appropriate socio-economic policies, and promoting collaborative action on climate, among others. Importantly, the findings of the array of articles in this current issue can motivate Africa and its leaders to take proactive action to end Africa’s lingering problems. It contributes positively to African indigenous knowledge, which could be of immense value to Africa’s sustainable development.