Open Access
Cultivating comparative constitutional law in Africa: Honouring the contribution of Charles Manga Fombad
Edited by F Viljoen, S Kamga, A de Man & J Socher
2026
ISBN: 978-1-0672373-8-7
DOI: https://doi.org/10.29053/978-1-0672373-8-7
Pages: 609
Print version: Available
Electronic version: Free PDF available
About the publication
Cultivating comparative constitutional law in Africa: Honouring the contribution of Charles Manga Fombad pays tribute to the life, scholarship and enduring influence of one of the continent’s most distinguished and influential scholars in the field of comparative constitutional law and constitutionalism. By engaging with Professor Fombad’s extensive academic oeuvre, this volume tackles some of the most pressing challenges confronting constitutional governance in Africa today.
Bringing together twenty original chapters authored by both established and emerging constitutional scholars, the collection offers new insights for advancing constitutionalism in Africa on issues as wide-ranging as constitutional identity, state accountability and separation of powers, constitutional democracy and elections, constitutional adjudication, and the promise of transformative constitutionalism within and across diverse comparative contexts.
More than a festschrift, this volume celebrates Professor Fombad’s enduring influence and stimulates ongoing dialogue on the future of constitutional governance in Africa. It will serve as an invaluable resource for academics, legal practitioners, members of the judiciary, students, non-governmental organisations, and policy advisers concerned for the further cultivation of comparative constitutional law in Africa.
Table of Contents
Editors’ foreword Contributors
Personal reflections
Celebrating the scholarship of Professor Charles Manga Fombad
Justice Lúcia da Luz Ribeiro
Personal reflections on the scholarship of Professor Charles Manga FombadJustice Kenneth Molife
Reflections on the contribution of Professor Charles Fombad, a scholar and a mensch
Professor Elsabe Schoeman
Reflections on the life, labours and legacy of Professor Charles Manga Fombad
Professor Nico Steytler
1 Introduction
Frans Viljoen, Serges Kamga, Annelie de Man &Johannes Socher
Part 1: Constitutional identity and change
2 What explains constitutional endurance in Africa?
Heinz Klug
3 Reimagining constitutionalism in the digital era: Big Tech, platform power and the future ofdemocracy in Africa
Lukman Adebisi Abdulrauf
4 Value targets and implementation mechanisms:A survey of African constitutions
Mai Cheng
5 Combating entrenched social exclusion andmarginalisation: Could a minority rightsapproach work in Africa?
Joshua Castellino
6 Legal pluralism, environmental governance and Legal pluralism, environmental governance and constitutionalism in Zimbabwe
Makanatsa Makonese
7 Lesotho’s model of conservative constitutionalism:Suggestions for a shift to developmental constitutionalism
Carol Chi Ngang & Lerato Molati
Part 2: State accountability and separation of powers
8 ‘Reactivating’ the principles of constitutionalism to combat corruption in South Africa
Annelie de Man
9 The conundrum of courts of law and the political landscape: A comparative analysis of South Africa and Zimbabwe
Brian Chihera & Vhonani Sarah-Jane Neluvhalani-Caquece
10 Comparative perspectives on judicial selectionmechanisms in Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe
Gift Manyatera
11 Legislative oversight of the defence and securitysector in sub-Saharan Africa: Authority, abilityand attitude
Caroline Cosby & Catherine Lena Kelly
Part 3: Constitutional democracy and elections
12 An analysis of the African Union’s institutional and regional efforts in promoting democracy and good governance
Frank Odimegwu & Sky Mkuti
13 Decolonising the Anglophone-Francophone constitutional divide: Towards inclusive,post-majoritarian democracy in Africa
Adem Kassie Abebe
14 Constitutional democracy and electoral processes in Africa: The case of Cameroon
Gallous Atabongwoung & Serges Djoyou Kamga
15 Digital activism and democracy: The role of mass media in shaping Africa’s political landscape –A case study of Kenya’s Gen-Z protests
Yvonne Muriu, Jeanne Jadher Nanga, George Nyanaro, William Antony Kanani, Neil Samwel & Pauline Nduta Kinyanju
Part 4: Constitutional adjudication
16 Comparing constitutional rights adjudication in Africa: Approaches, themes and new horizonsfor comparative constitutional law
Trésor Muhindo Makunya
17 Para-constitutional review under military rule in Francophone Africa: The cases of Burkina Faso and Mali
Samson Mwin Sôg Mé Dabiré & Johannes Socher
Part 5: The promise of transformative constitutionalism
18 South Africa’s transformative constitutionalism incomparative perspective
Rainer Grote
19 Transformative constitutionalism: Extending social security protections to informal economy workers
Janine Hicks
20 Using the Constitution as a tool for change and accountability in addressing maternal mortality and morbidity in Kenya
Sindiso Nozitha Nkomo & Ebenezer Durojaye
21 Transformative constitutionalism and the adjudication of human rights and fundamental freedoms: A case study of Kenya
Tioko Emmanuel Ekiru
Professional profile: Charles Manga Fombad