Editorial introduction to special focus: The rule of law in sub-Saharan Africa: Reflections on promises, progress, pitfalls and prospects.

Abstract

Serious efforts to entrench the rule of law in Africa came with the socalled third wave of democratisation in the 1990s. This democratic revival raised hopes of a new era of governance guided by the basic principles of constitutionalism, democracy, good governance, respect for human rights and respect for the rule of law. Promising signs of some progress have been overtaken by a steady decline, particularly in the last two decades. For example, in the 2016 Ibrahim Index of African Governance Report, it is stated that, although during the last decade overall governance on the continent has improved, there has been a ‘pronounced and concerning drop in safety and rule of law, for which 33 out of the 54 African countries – home to almost two-thirds of the continent’s population – have experienced a decline since 2006, 15 of them quite substantially’.1 The conclusions arrived at in the Ibrahim Index of African Governance is largely supported by similar surveys, such as Freedom House’s Freedom in the World Survey; the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index; the World Bank’s World Governance Indicators; and Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index.