In this thematic area, the research examines the concept of governance and its challenges not only at the state level but also in sub-regional and regional groupings. The guiding questions are: what are governance challenges faced by post-colonial African states? What are the central policy actors and decision-making processes currently at work on the continent? In turn, how are these reconfiguring livelihoods and state-society relations? How should we understand the changing relationships between African states and various transnational actors? And how might these reshape a global future as seen from Africa?