Any attempt to address the ever-present problem of instability in Africa gives rise to questions regarding legitimate governance. Without future thinking and action on the legitimacy of governance in Africa and how to secure it, past mistakes will go unheeded rather than informing forward movement.;This coverage examines such key components in the struggle for legitimate governance as the role of the international community in addressing the problem, the particular role women can play and ways in which women can improve their involvement in the whole enterprise of governance, and the roles of non-governmental organizations and civil society.;In this collection of essays, a wide range of legal contributors, all familiar with the status of the struggle for legitimate governance in a specific institution or particular African state, brings unique perspectives to the investigation of legitimate governance in Africa. The individual authors have considered the complexities and subtleties of conducting and evaluating the business of African state governance, covering both the practical sustainability of potential approaches and theoretical problems and issues.