State, Society and Corruption in Africa: The Evolution of Corruption from the Pre-Colonial Period to the Present

An illuminating and comprehensive interrogation of the impacts of corruption on state structures and institutions in Africa from two expert African scholars.

Focusing on a variety of institutions and establishments - from the judiciary to the legislature, civil service to religion, tertiary education to national economies - and drawing on key countries across the continent, including Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Ethiopia, South Africa and Zimbabwe, the book explains why national, continental and global initiatives addressing corruption have achieved such limited success. This provides a much-needed nuanced understanding of corruption which rejects stereotypical depictions of Africa as a corruption-ridden continent and also offers new insights into the international community’s role in making and sustaining corrupt systems in Africa.

Abiodun Alao is Professor of African Studies at King’s College London. He has held teaching and Research positions at the Universities of Ife and Zimbabwe. He has published extensively on African issues. His latest book is Rage and Carnage in the name of God (2022).

Yusuf Ali is an Attorney of Law and Visiting Research Associate at the African Leadership Centre, King’s College London. He is the author Anatomy of Corruption in Nigeria; Issues, Challenges and Solutions and the Pioneer Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association Anti-Corruption Commission. Ali is Current Pro-Chancellor of Osun State University Nigeria.