Creating a viable judiciary and strengthening its democratic functions have been main concerns of both national governments and donors over the last two decades. A common purpose of these various efforts has been to make national legal systems function in a more efficient and fair manner. As the colonial powers began pulling out from Africa in the 1950s and 1960s, they made efforts toward developing and strengthening local capacity to operate each country's legal system. The efforts were mainly orchestrated by each country's former colonial power; i.e. the UK in Southern and East Africa, France in Central and West Africa, and Belgium in Central Africa. 

Judicial reform is a very complex area, involving a multitude of institutions and actors. Judicial reform (also called legal sector reform) refers to efforts to improve the functioning of a country's legal system, both in terms of fairness and efficiency. The legal system encompasses the entire legal framework, including the constitution, statutes, regulations, customary law and international legal obligations, as well as other institutions that interact to form the judicial process. Judicial reform is currently a priority in societies seeking to democratize their political system, and among donors seeking to favorably impact democratic reforms. Reform efforts have been made through various types of interventions including, (1) Law reform, (2) Court reform, (3) Judicial administration reform, (4) Legal community support, (5) Reform of legal education and training.