Contemporary expressions of the foreign relations of subnational governments in Africa (Special Section)

The special section, “Contemporary Expressions of the Foreign Relations of Subnational Governments in Africa,” co-guest-edited by Ohiocheoya Omiunu and Fritz Ikome Nganje, brings together a collection of articles that examine the evolving international engagements of African subnational governments. Published in Regional & Federal Studies, Volume 34, Issue 3 (2024), the section advances debates on paradiplomacy, federalism, regionalism, and African agency by foregrounding the ways in which non-central governments participate in cross-border, regional, and transnational governance processes.

The contributions examine diverse manifestations of subnational foreign relations, including foreign revenue mobilisation in Nigeria, sovereign boundary percolation by Nigerian subnational governments, Johannesburg’s agency in transnational city networks, and glocal approaches to regionalism. Collectively, the special section challenges state-centric accounts of African international relations and demonstrates that African subnational actors are increasingly relevant to debates on development, regional integration, and global governance.