There are three ways to conceptualize power in society: the power of the government (the Prince), the power of the market (the Merchant), and the power of the people (the Citizen). Development history shows that the world has attempted to focus on each of these powers, hoping that they could drive socio-economic development. In the 1960s, the focus was on the state which was supposed to provide for all the needs of citizens. In the 1970s, the 'myth of the market' that the private sector could provide for all the consumption needs of consumers dominated development theory and practice. Finally, by the end of the 1980s, a new myth was found: 'the myth of the market plus civil society'. Therefore, the term 'non-state actors' has surged in the development discourse on the premise that the efforts of the government should be complemented by that category of these other actors. The Cotonou Agreement signed in Cotonou, Benin, on 23 June 2000, between the European Union (EU) and countries from the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) region was one of the major international acknowledgments of such a 'complementarity' role for non-state actors. A key lesson arising from this compendium is that non-state actors form a very diverse range of stakeholders who play different roles at various level of development in Africa. The need to associate them to the development planning and implementation process is key. This compendium compiles case studies that feature the efforts made by African countries in ensuring effective participation of this category of stakeholders in the continent's development. Finally, the compendium strongly recommends that: (i) African countries integrate elements of their cultural traditions to the modern centralized governance systems to achieve true democracies; (ii) universities are supported to accelerate the production of a critical mass of technical skills needed to increased and sustained Africa's growth and (iii) appropriate frameworks are established to drive private investments into the productive sectors