DISCOURSE THEORY IN DEVELOPING A CRITICAL POLICY ANALYSIS OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND GOVERNANCE IN SELECTED AFRICAN COUNTRIES

In this paper, discourse theory, and critical policy analysis in relationship with environmental management and governance in selected African countries are the central discursive issues. However, the relationship of discourse and theory with the nuances of language expression, power and ideology has been explained with a view to underscoring the instrumentality of discourse and its contribution to critical policy analysis. The paper has elicited a historical past of the colonial and post-colonial experiences, culture, politics, land practices, colonial legacy, and lingering issues of coloniality – over exploitation, degradation, structural and governance policy concerns as critical policy analysis issues of environmental management and governance in Africa.