Abstract
One of the most sought-after ideals in post-independence Africa, yet highly elusive, is the realisation of autonomous development and social change. Samir Amin is among the many scholars who have proposed solutions yet whose contribution has not been satisfactorily popularised. Amin was among the first generation of scholars who theorised and conceptualised pathways towards autonomous development and social change in Africa. In his honour, this article revisits the development and social change debate in Africa. Drawing from critical document analysis and underpinned by content analysis, the article cites the dependency syndrome as one key problem to Africa's development trajectory. This syndrome compromised continental efforts towards realising autonomous development and social change. Amin proposed 'delinking' from the capitalist system as the first step towards autonomous development. The article concludes that, problematic and complex as it is, delinking from the logic of imperialism in its entirety in the pursuit of home-grown context and cultural-specific frameworks of transformation is the key move towards autonomous development and social change in Africa.