Journal of African Studies and Sustainable Development

The problem of human rights has been a controversial issue in the continent of Africa. There have been numerous cases of human rights abuses in many countries that are within the African Milieu. There were times in the history of the people in which these abuses were promoted externally through slave trade and colonialism, although there are new forms of slave trade and neocolonialism, it is not exactly the same with what obtained in the past. There are rights abuses that are induced by political leaders with their foreign cohorts. There are some that are internally induced by the political elites themselves against perceived political enemies and opponents. There are rights that are perpetuated to oppress the poor and the masses of the people. There are also others that are gender related and others are religious oriented. This paper addresses Wiredu’s identification of the problem of human rights and the ills it causes in the continent of Africa and the possible ways to reduce its prevalence. Beyond Wiredu, what are the social, ethical, political and economic implications of human rights in Africa today and how can this best be curbed in the face of a renewed upsurge of human rights abuses globally and especially in Africa in our contemporary time today? What are the implications of human rights abuses on the security of a nation-state? There is always this consistent denial syndrome among many countries in Africa; but the reality on the ground is so obvious that it cannot but attract the attention of concerned academics, international human rights organizations, both local and international. The incessant conflict and uneasy state of insecurity is a cause for concern for all who are apprehensive about the impunities that go with the high rate of human rights abuses in Africa. The methodology of this paper will be critical and analytical.

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