Africa occupies a critical strategic position in today’s world, due to its vast natural resources. Despite this wealth, the continent faces significant challenges that hinder its sustainable development. A major obstacle is the enduring impact of imperial ideologies and the exploitation of resources by European colonial powers. Colonization disrupted Africa’s progress, leading to stagnation in socio-economic development and inflicting lasting damage on its social structures. Traditional methods of conflict resolution were dismantled, replaced by a culture of violence and authoritarianism that stifled democratic growth. With the end of colonial rule, a new elite emerged, often influenced by the very systems that oppressed their people. Instead of empowering their communities, these elites frequently continued the cycle of oppression, serving external interests rather than the aspirations of their citizens. It is crucial to address these historical injustices to unlock Africa’s true potential and empower its people to thrive

Today, colonialism has gone from Africa, but its nurtured African elites are still largely governing under the influence of Western imperialists. To date, foreign aid has remained one of the veritable strategies of dominating and controlling African leaders. The granting of foreign aid to African countries by the West has created a condition of economic subservience and of a master-servant relationship that could generate persistent seeking and lobbying for foreign aid through borrowing. It has consistently enriched the few African elites nurtured by colonial imperialists and not the African masses. Foreign aid has been criticized for not working in Africa because it interfered with Africa’s development, as the money always ended up in the hands of a few African elites. Also, in comparison with all other developing regions, Africa has remained aid-dependent, with FDI lagging behind official development assistance (ODA). This has had severe implications for Africa’s socio-economic growth and development. Empirical evidence has identified inequalities, poverty, insecurity, violent conflict, corruption, and weak political will as some of the implications of Africa’s overreliance on the West.

The pressing need to shift Africa from its reliance on the West toward sustainable growth—aimed at eradicating widespread poverty—has triggered numerous research initiatives across the continent. While these efforts have received attention, they reveal a significant concern regarding the lack of reputable platforms for publishing and sharing research findings. This special issue is vital as it addresses how Africa can confront contemporary issues rooted in colonialism and local elite actions. Historical assistance from the West has yielded little progress, highlighting the need for African scholars to focus on homegrown solutions. Now is the time for Africa's scholars to engage in robust, evidence-based research and share their findings through established academic journals, paving the way for a more self-sufficient and prosperous future.

African Renaissance is an African research journal that provides a platform for well-researched articles that discuss issues concerning Africa. This special issue hosted by African Renaissance discusses, analyses, and disseminates well-articulated research findings on recurrent African challenges. It covers multidisciplinary topical issues from social sciences, history, humanities, administration, management science, and other disciplines. Topical issues bothering Africa, such as elections, migration, governance, communal development and resources, e-governance, refugee settlement, digital technologies and innovations, gender-based violence, among others. It is believed that findings of these well-articulated research articles in this special issue of the African Renaissance would go a long way in addressing Africa’s contemporary problems.