Development in Modern Africa: Past and Present Perspectives contributes to our understanding of Africa's experiences with the development process. The book will be of interest to academics in the field of history, African studies and regional studies.

1. Introduction 2. The Priority Argument, Politics, and Development in Africa 3. Female Chastity, Peace and Security in the Precolonial Yorubaland: Implications for National Development 4. Handicraft (ise owo): A Tool for Sustainable Development among Women in Akokoland, 1900-1960 5. Gender and Development in Africa: The Revolving Influence of Urban Centers on the Traditional Obligation of Umuada in Igboland, Nigeria 6. Railways and Economic Development: The Nigerian Experience in the Global Context 7. Community Development in the Light of Ecclesiastical sensitivity to Climate Change in Ilorin, Nigeria 8. Conflict, Insecurity, and Sustainable Development in Africa: The Boko Haram Insurgency in Nigeria 9. The Creation of Contestation and the Conditions of Encroachment: Land Grabs, Squatting, and the Legacy of Land Reform in Tanzania and Nepal 10. South Africa's policy vision for black businesses - the role of entrepreneurship in development 11. Hypomobility - An Epidemiological Analogue for Viewing Urban Transport Conditions in Africa and other Developing Countries 12. Development Planning Under Stress in West Africa: Exploring Options to Forge Ahead