POLICY SUMMERSAULT: A RECURING NIGHTMARE IN DEVELOPMENTAL PROCESS IN AFRICA THE CASE OF NIGERIA AND ZIMBABWE

Abstract

Policy somersault is one area that successive administration has lived with for some time now in most states in Africa. Each time a new government comes into power there seem to be a set-back as it reverses the policies of previous government, especially if they are not from the same political groups. This practice has becomes part of the social, economic, political, intellectual and cultural relations. Extra energy and resources are spent on designing and preparing plans for all kinds of policies with little or no thought given to the complex chains of reciprocal interactions and variables required in the translation of this policy in to actions even in event of change of government and this can be seen usually in the widening gap between intentions and results. The focus of this study is to identify possible courses of policy somersault and how to gauge the phenomenon, taking into consideration two Africa countries, Nigeria and Zimbabwe.  This study took its framework from the strategic theory.  It concluded that policy somersault accounts for major gaps in governance and inability to attract FDI to African states.  It therefore recommends legislative framework to guarantee government against policy abortions.