In this issue, although discussions are mainly country specific, elements to which they refer resonate with what happens in most African states. The essays of the issue reflect on the successes and challenges faced by four member states of the African continent, namely Ethiopia, Morocco, Mozambique and Nigeria. As in the past, this issue provides analyses of the various countries’ societal matters, ranging from economic, educational, health and popular political issues. The analyses are based on research evidence. The opening essay of the journal, Okeke’s essay, critiques the purpose of political power within the continent and introduces these issues by simultaneously examining the ways in which these facets have broadly affected the citizenry of the African continent. In the same breath as Okeke, co-authors Odigwe and Aibieyi, in the essay that analyses Nigeria’s economic development pursuits, raise very cogent questions. The opinion of these authors is that if nothing is done to ensure efficiency and accountability, and if nothing is deliberately embarked upon to protect the sovereignty of the ordinary African citizenry, African democracies face an uncertain future.