The Legon Tradition of African Philosophy (TLTAP) and Contemporary Public Administration Theory (CPAT): The Case for Dialogic Engagement for a New African Public Administration

Cox (1995: 36) makes an insightful claim that: “the first task of a contemporary political theory is to declare its ontology.” Contemporary Public Administration Theory (CPAT) as presently constituted has spawned a particular political theory. If we are to take seriously the claim of Cox and then unpack CPAT’s ontology, such an enterprise must necessarily be far more expansive in drawing in the metaphysics problematic of which the ontology in question is constitutive. This chapter argues that CPAT is conditioned by a particular metaphysic which is Western and therefore hegemonic and shot through with pretensions of universal validity. This has had deleterious theoretical and practical consequences for Africa’s socio-economic and political organization requiring posing hard questions as a basis for constructing a truly transformative and consciously African public administration. The chapter brings the TLTAP into a critical conversation with CPAT to inspire this.