UNLESS those replacing the old leadership in North Africa and elsewhere can come up with innovative socio- political structures and administrative systems the likelihood of the same problems re-occuring once again may be inevitable.
Although this article is written with special reference to the Libyan revolution, the ideas contained herein may be of relevance to many other areas of Africa.
The prevalence of the occurence of state failures in Africa is a sure indication of obsolete and dysfunctional systems and structures. African countries and Africans have grown in numbers more than the capacity for self- administration and direction.
It is obvious change is needed and needed immediately not only for thesake of peace and unity in many a country, but more importanly future socio-economic development of such countries.
Economic, social and technologial changes occuring in the world now are dictating for the establishment and growh of smaller government/administrative units. Larger administrative units are falling out of fashion because they appear not able to deliver whtat they were designed for. That is modernization and people's prosperity.
The future region or province or canton shall have between 300,000 and 500,000 people only.
Such unit will have its own governor/chief or prime minister; regional parliament; regional ministers and relevant judicial structures. This is necessitated by the fact that citizens of future will not be so patient as those of the past when there was no ICT and e-Governments.
Naturally, smaller administrative units will imply higher level of decentralization and self-autonomy. Cost conscious central governments supported by strong, autonomous and effective smaller governments willl be more appreciated by its people than otherwise.
The ideal levels of decentralization and self-autonomy must give a people in a given province their own head or regional leader, a representative assembly and regional ministers. In addition, such a governemnt will have a stand alone and powerful judiciary and private and public media houses.
The head of the region, preferably, a prime minister shall be chosen from the party with largest number of seats in the regional government. While representatives to the regional or provincinal assembly shall be elected from interest groups in the said region.
Ministries in the region shall be formed depending on the number of problems and opportunities available to the region in terms of its social economic development. No region will have more than 12 ministers in order to avoid cost overruns.
Regional government, parliament work and media work in the region shall be facilitated very much by use of ICT and modern technology. Again, relationship between central and regional governments shall be based strictly on an evergrowing application of e-governance in a country.
To administer justice faster, effectively and efficiently each region must have its own Chief Judge, Regional attorney and a High Court.
Regions with own newspapers, radio and television stations shall be appreciated more by their citizens than those that don't have such facilities.
Seat of government
Having only one city as a beneficiary of all government expenses is a thing of the past. The future state shall distribute its ministries in appropriate regions. The capital will have one huge structure that will house sub offices of all regionally distributed ministries.
If Conferences facilities are built not only in towns but also in villages, the parliaments (both natioanl and regional) can also be made to seat in various towns and villages round the year, thus ensuring no one town or village partakes in the benefits of parliament seatings.
Such a distribution will go a long way into ensuring not only power distribution but also distribution of vital resources for an even keel developmnt of all the nation's regions.
In the case of Libya, Tripoli besides having the giant building housing all suboffices of the national ministries may have two or three building for appropriately located ministries. Benghazi as well as Misrata and Sirte, may have also two or three full ministries and so too are some of worthwile cities or towns or villages that deserves to house a ministry.
For instance, towns where oil is extracted rather than refinded should be headquarters of the relevant Fuel and gas ministry.
There should be a national capital and investment forum where decisions on capital rationing should be made. Such a forum should be able to earmark fairly capital and investments among the regions to the satisfaction of all. Similarly redistribution and regional regeneration policies can follow on the same principles of equitable resource allocation and reallocation.
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