Popular sovereignty is a political doctrine in which government and other political and administrative decisions derive from citizens. This usually implies citizens elect representatives and have a great influence on politics.
This principle is the one people lack in the passage because the author describes people who cannot manage public affairs "has kept us in a sort of permanent infancy with regard to public affairs". This means people are not deciding over government or internal administration and therefore there is no popular sovereignty.
To be African means belonging or relating to the continent of Africa or to its countries or people African means belonging or relating to black people who come from Africa
