CDD relaunches journal on West African affairs

The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) has relaunched its flagship publication entitled, ‘Democracy and Development: Journal of West African Affairs’.

Idayat Hassan, CDD Director, disclosed this via a statement on Friday.

Hassan said the journal serves as “the hub for sophisticated analyses of issues affecting democratic and developmental evolution in West Africa”.

“First conceived and launched in the late 1990s, the journal, after taking the West African development cosmos by storm, went into a yearslong hiatus in order to rethink its raison detre and retool itself to meet the challenges of a sub-region in the throes of rapid change,” she said.

“While it sports a new format, the journal’s dedication to informed commentary on the dynamic interaction of democracy and development in the West African sub-region and beyond is unchanged.

“Democracy and Development is committed to being the hub for sophisticated analyses of issues affecting democratic and developmental evolution in West Africa, and welcomes essays and reviews from scholar-practitioners on issues under this broad rubric.”

Hassan said in focusing on democracy and development in West Africa, the journal, which can be accessed here, “specifically aims at illuminating the practical problems that have inhibited democratic reforms”.

“To this end, it seeks to bring attention to reportage and analyses of conflict and peace-building, innovative programmes and activities that drive good governance, capacity building and public policy research in democracy, and security and development in the region,” she said.

“In this way, Democracy and Development reinforces CDD’s commitment to framing the discourse and encouraging engagement on socio-political and economic issues that continue to impinge on democracy and development in West Africa.”

She also said the centre is currently welcoming contributions for the journal’s next edition in December, on the theme of “Viral states: pandemics, politics, and policy in West Africa,” with the deadline for submission as October 15, 2020.