This article examines the evolving nature of national identity and its significance to geo-politics and nation-building in post-colonial African states, specifically Cameroon and Senegal. Within the current global context, previous theories and scholars failed to explain how recent changes in national identity inform the choice of geo-politics in post-colonial Cameroon and Senegal. It is against this backdrop that this article examines the extent to which changes in elite and public perception on national identity transcended national borders and spilled over to the geo-political landscape. The paper relied on a mixed-method research design that combines elements of qualitative and quantitative techniques. The mixed-method approach is anchored on comparative case study techniques. The data were largely drawn from both primary and secondary sources; the primary sources included semi-structured interviews, and public statements, while the secondary sources comprised educational curriculums, Afrobarometer, World Bank data and the Swiss Economic Globalization Index. The outcome of the analysis showed that in recent years changes in national identity have transcended national borders and spilled over to the geo-political landscape. Findings revealed the extent to which the underlying features of national identity have been indigenized, Africanized and globalized to symbolize what it means to be a Cameroonian and Senegalese Citizen. Comparatively, it was established that Senegal has assumed a more dynamic image and position in geo-politics than Cameroon. Nonetheless, Cameroon’s and Senegal’s recent dynamic and versatile image accounts for the new type of national identity theorized in this paper as a form of strategic identity. The paper also highlighted the challenges and significance of strategic identity to issues of growth, nation and peace-building.

本文探讨了民族认同的演变性质及其对后殖民非洲国家，特别是喀麦隆和塞内加尔的地缘政治和国家建设的重要性。在当前的全球背景下，以前的理论和学者未能解释最近民族身份的变化如何影响了后殖民地喀麦隆和塞内加尔的地缘政治选择。在这种背景下，本文探讨了精英和公众对民族认同的看法在多大程度上超越了国界，并蔓延到了地缘政治领域。该论文依赖于一种混合方法研究设计，该设计结合了定性和定量技术的要素。混合方法方法基于比较案例研究技术。数据主要来自主要和次要来源；主要来源包括半结构化访谈和公开声明，次要来源包括教育课程，非洲晴雨表，世界银行数据和瑞士经济全球化指数。分析的结果表明，近年来，国民身份的变化已超越国界，并蔓延到地缘政治格局。调查结果揭示了民族认同的基本特征在多大程度上被本地化，非洲化和全球化，以象征着成为喀麦隆和塞内加尔公民的含义。相比之下，可以确定的是，塞内加尔在地缘政治中比喀麦隆拥有更加活跃的形象和地位。尽管如此，喀麦隆和塞内加尔最近的动态形象和多用途形象说明了在本文中理论化为战略身份形式的新型国家身份。该文件还强调了战略认同对增长，国家与和平建设问题的挑战和意义。