The dynamics of diversity and the massive endowment of natural resources in Africa make it a worthwhile and strategic region for scientific investigation. This investigation becomes very necessary in light of how the western media have always labeled Africa as a sore continent characterized by violence, diseases, bad governance, poor service delivery, weak political will and institutions, poverty, inequality, climate change, and other related problems. Although these problems have generated public and intellectual discussions within and outside Africa, the suggested solutions appear to be western ideology-laden. In other words, the nature of these solutions is not evolving towards reflecting efforts at genuinely transforming or improving Africa. This is so because the democracy that seems to renew hope for Africa’s development has largely remained unpopular in some African states. This state of affairs was a factor in the thinking of Afrocentric solutions to African problems because all available facts point out that more Africans live in fully or partially authoritarian states today than at most points in the last two decades.

The declining state of democracy in some African states, which is gradually pushing governments across the continent to become more authoritarian, will certainly alienate Africans from those representing them. And this would have severe implications for uprisings and nationwide protests and severe episodes of violence, as is already being seen in Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Niger, and Mozambique. Such turmoil is inevitable on the continents as elites compete for power and citizens resist oppressive civilian administration, which will, in turn, inhibit social and economic development to the disadvantage of the continent’s rapidly growing population. In addition, this precarious state of affairs could provoke displacement and migration to some African states and to Europe. Thus, it highlights a situation whereby Africa is losing its young and economically active population to countries on other continents. To address this problem, it will require evidence-based research or studies that address long-standing issues that are often exacerbated by the poor, sometimes bad governance that is predominant in Africa. One of such platforms where well-articulated research interventions can be disseminated to the global community is the African Renaissance. It is a journal where African issues and development are discussed with pragmatic African solutions by scholars from different academic disciplines. This edition is a special issue that discusses not only Africa’s problems but also Afrocentric solutions that can heal and re-awaken Africa from its drifting state to a more competitive and vibrant continent.

This special issue is a collection of thought-provoking articles that cut across disciplines in social sciences, humanities, management science, and environmental science. Some of the African issues discussed in this special edition include election management, migration, governance crises at the local government level, insecurity, budget management, public policy, border closures and economic downturns, power supply, service delivery, accountability, and transparency in public service, among others. The findings of the articles in this special issue are significant for theory and policy. Theoretically, they expand discussion on the dimensions of African problems and how Afrocentric solutions could transform Africa. The findings also suggest means by which African governments can optimize looking inward (exploring African opportunities) to enhance strategic efforts at achieving sustainable development in Africa.