“The Failure and Feasibility of Capitalism in Africa,” authored by Professor Kenneth Omeje, is this year’s pick for the Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa’s Annual Book Launch. Necessary and thought-provoking, this literary work  offers an extensive and in-depth tour of the historical development of the continent. 

The author, Professor Kenneth Omeje critically examines the forms, trajectories, and failures of capitalist development in the African context while offering up a clear-eyed assessment of the feasibility of turning around Africa’s current economic and developmental challenges. 

Professor Omeje is sharply critical of the “Africa Rising” narrative, and argues that capitalism has practically failed to deliver the long-desired economic transformation and inclusive development in postcolonial Africa.

Professor Kenneth Omeje is the Director of Manifold Crown Consulting Services, based in Bradford, United Kingdom; a Visiting Professor at Addis Ababa University’s Institute of Peace and Security Studies; and an Extraordinary Professor of Development Studies at the University of South Africa (UNISA). He has previously held the positions of Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Peace Studies and International Development at the University of Bradford; Senior Research Associate in the Faculty of Humanities, University of Johannesburg, South Africa; Professor of International Relations and Security Studies at the United States International University-Africa; and the Georg Arnhold Visiting Professor of Sustainable Peace at the Georg Eckert Institute for International Textbook Research in Braunschweig, Germany, among others. He has about a hundred publications, including books, book chapters, and articles in several top-ranked journals.

This year’s book submissions were reviewed by a committee of experts from IPSS and other organisations. Only three of the books were up for review overall this year, out of the five submissions. Each publication was evaluated based on the following criteria:

1. Relevance to peace, security and development in Africa;
2. Contribution to existing knowledge;
3. The originality of objectives, analyses and findings;
4. Quality of methods and information sources;
5. Relevance and contribution to policy/academic field;
6. Structure, flow and language; and
7. Public reception (critics and reviews)

From 14 to 16 October, 2022, at the 10th  Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa, Professor Kenneth Omeje will deliver a presentation on his book to an audience that includes African heads of state and government, decision-makers from the African Union (AU), United Nations (UN), and other international organisations, academics, and members of civil society. The Tana Forum’s Annual Book Launch provides both African and non-African authors with a stage to promote their works and interact with Forum attendees each year. Dr. Jakkie Cilliers’ “Africa First!” was the chosen book for 2020.