Capability Theory of Amartya Sen

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) generally has poorly diversified economies and limited entry points and spaces for citizens to realize their livelihood and sociopolitical aspirations. Hence, more citizens look up to the government and donors for jobs/ contracts and patronage. The scarcity of productive opportunities has pushed many into a survivalist mode and cutting corners to enrich oneself, albeit illegal, has become the norm. Rather than serve as the primal agency for development, many African governments are turned to the battlefield for wealth grabbing. The received economic development paradigms that prioritize growth via capital accumulation as the core measures of development, without considering their sources, how they are distributed, and how well the population uses the wealth at their disposal to enhance wellness, are also to blame for underdevelopment in SSA. Amartya Sen's Capability Approach Framework comes in handy by emphasizing capability building and utilization as important factors for development and its sustainability. Hence, an attempt is made here to reconstruct Sen's capability approach to explain what can be done to speed up development in SSA.