Abstract:
Several public sector reforms (PSR) have taken place in Africa over the last few decades with
varying degrees of success. These range from very excellent performance to limited success and then failure.
However, regardless of the evaluation results, they have without a doubt had an impact on the way we
understand and shape public management on the African continent. Inevitably, a number of insights and lessons
have been gained on the subject matter. In this article, I suggest that a number of lessons have been learnt
which should guide reformers to improve on public sector reforms and scholars to seek further explanations for
failure and success. There is also the need for students of public sector reforms to question further the
prevailing assumptions and theories underpinning these reforms. In the light of the challenges facing public
sector reform in Africa, this paper argues that ownership of reform programmes by African governments and
other stakeholders is necessary.
