Leadership and Health in Africa

A second generation of leaders has now assumed power in Africa, replacing those who inherited the colonial state following independence during the 1960s and 1970s and, in a few cases thereafter. Since independence, two or three governing trends have become clear on the continent. Foremost, it seems that, to the committed first group of leaders who inherited the colonial state, the most important goal was to eliminate ethnic divisions and create new nations, where the state was sacrosanct.