Africa’s Underdevelopment: Does Africa Need Western Prescriptions?

Introduction

The African continent is the biggest continent on earth endowed with immense natural and human resources .Africa has the youngest population on earth. It is also endowed with great cultural, ecological and economic diversity but paradoxically it remains the poorest continent on earth. The United Nations classifies Africa as the most least developed.

Africa is bleeding from military dictatorships, corruption, civil unrest and war, underdevelopment, and deep poverty. Most of the strategies and prescriptions by the western governments and their institutions have failed to yield results.

Whilst there is an agreement that slavery, colonialism, and external interference underdeveloped Africa, there are other countries like Singapore which was able to turn around their socio-economic fortunes. We also have the United Arab Emirates which was formed after 1971, they have risen to be global superpowers. The United Arab Emirates has a GDP per capita which is higher than Nigeria which is Africa’s biggest economy, both these countries’ economies are based on natural gas and oil.

Arabs and Europeans have proven to be our enemies as African people for more than 1500 years. Arabs have colonised , enslaved and killed many of our people in North Africa and up to today they are still killing us in Sudan, Mauritania, Libya, Niger, Tunisia, Algeria yet the Arab world and so-called Arab nationalists and revolutionaries are quite about this black genocide and the black holocaust. The Arabs and Europeans directly or indirectly benefit from our destruction economically, socially and politically. Black people have no friends outside our race. All other nations advance and preserve their own interests by any means necessary.

Slavery and Colonialism

Slavery forcibly took Africans as slaves to Europe and the Americas and forces them to work without pay on their sugar and cotton plantations. The Europeans conquered Africa and seized land from Africans and established big plantations and forced the African people to work hard on the plantations for nothing or paltry pay. In the process of colonialism, African culture was contaminated and diluted, the African way of life and tradition was destroyed.

Christianity was forced on Africans and those who resisted were killed and this led to the destruction of the African traditional religion. Africans were indoctrinated and forced to learn the language of the Whiteman, they later accepted European food and dressing as superior and shunned their traditional foods. New diseases were brought to the African race. The African extended family structure was torn apart as the settler colonialists created new boundaries which is one of the reasons for the present-day conflicts and border disputes. Many family members were uprooted from their homelands and families and never to come back.

The colonialists exploited and plundered the rich and immense mineral resources especially gold, diamonds, ivory and agricultural primary products. This disturbance never allowed Africans to fully develop and those who served the colonial administration sold out and fed from the white men crumps and this created social inequality in the colonies.

Colonial Debts and Loans

Most of the African countries are politically independent but are still groaning under the weight of an excruciating debt burden. These debt repayments consume big chunks of foreign currency earnings and depress investment and affect economic growth. There have been loud calls in recent times for debt cancellation from creditors especially from the Paris Club, IMF, and World Bank.

Most of the debts were inherited from the erstwhile colonisers of Africa. Most African countries borrowed and continue to borrow loans from institutions such as Paris Club, International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, which are used to pay interest on debts to previous lenders , whilst the overall size of the debt increases .African countries are falling into an extended deb trap which will stagnate their economic growth and increase in poverty rates .Africa does not have to bear all the suffering of a crisis caused by government policy, irresponsible leaders and global economic shocks especially when speculators continue to extract large profits from Africa .There are growing demands for the cancellation of these debts .In order for Africa to breathe it needs to be freed from the shackles of debt.

Religion

The biggest problem in Africa is the persuasive narrative of heaven that we are not of this world. Religion has made Africans to apply the formula that you must pray first then think later .Most of the prayer requests you hear are about jobs .But if Africans think first that will solve their joblessness and pray later. Why are black people complaining about jobs when minerals, coffee, land, coffee, maize, roots, weeds and herbs are making other races rich o our continent .The Africans must wake up and use the endless resources around us to create wealth on this rich continent. Africa has a massive proliferation of churches than any other continent and very little progress on industrialisation.

Food and Seed

Africa food security is under threat from global seed companies, GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) food and plant breeders if they are allowed in Africa will do away with all African traditional produce which will affect Africans health wise .GMOs must be resisted , it is a myth that GMOS can increase agricultural yields .Africa financial food institutions and government must subsidise peasants , provide loans and cushion farmers from high costs of inputs such as seed, pesticides, fertilisers, drugs and vaccines and provide modern farming technology .Foreign international cooperation’s must not be allowed to take over our seed industry as this jeopardise the food sovereignty of Africa, that who controls your food controls you .

Africans must start to demand land expropriation to empower the peasants .There is a widespread land grabbing in Africa at large scale by foreign multinationals and foreign governments to the detriment of local communities .Local communities are suffering from dispossession of land and natural resources and lack power .The situation is made worse as there is no mechanisms for relocating the disposed or compensation. The land grab with complicity of African leadership is a neo colonial push by more wealthy and powerful nations to annex the continent’s key natural resources .Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Sudan, Tanzania and Zambia are allotting foreign land leases or purchase agreements. Africans must stop waiting for European employers .The land is the wealth because it is the doctor and pharmacy and if you don’t use it, the Chinese and Europeans will.

In Zimbabwe, the only country to take away land from the white men. It is imperative that the new African owners must have land titles which become collateral security in order to access black loans .Contract system of agriculture must be encouraged .Under this system a farmer is supplied with agricultural inputs, equipment, and loans and offer supervision. In Zimbabwe , under this system tobacco production which was at the lowest ebb recovered exponentially and satisfying the growing Chinese demand .Tobacco farming which was previously dominated by white framers now consists of small black owned farms exporting half of the crop to China .Land revolution in Zimbabwe has found resonance and considerable support in Africa and the third world.

What Africa needs is fair trade and not aid. The biggest population in Africa are peasants whose livelihoods depend on agricultural production .The developed countries provide a lot of subsidies for their own farmers .This situation creates unfair competition in world agricultural markets and that is why African countries are poor.

The economic difficulties in Zimbabwe are attributed to the crippling economic sanctions imposed by USA and the European Union because of the land revolution by Africans. The agenda is to placate the Zimbabwe people to overthrow the democratically and constitutionally elected government of Zimbabwe.

Economic Growth, Beneficiation and Value Addition

The European economy system largely depends on cheap primary goods from Africa .Africa’s natural resources are exploited by multinational companies based in London who trade on London Stock Exchange. All the wealth flows out to Europe and North America .That is Africa’s tragedy .The solution is to benefactors legally to reinvest a certain percent of the proceeds derived from African countries back in infrastructure.

African countries have some of the most richest natural resources that provide raw materials for the industries responsible for the growth of the developed world yet the African people are the poorest .Humanitarian organisations such as UNICEF, WHO and Doctors without Borders and many others survive on portraying Africa as a dark continent in order for them to get funding for their operations.

In Africa an enabling environment must be encouraged through policy to allow indigenous institutions to flourish, with the likes of micro credits and sensible economic assistance to local entrepreneurs .Wealth distribution is problematic, resources like oil and precious minerals are exploited by foreign investors and big corporations which pay little or no taxes in their host countries such unethical practices has left Africa in poverty. A myriad of western mining corporations, pharmaceutical companies, big fuel growers, arms dealers, animal traffickers and child sex slave traders must move out of Africa because they are causing all the ills in Africa .These entities are exploiting every resource.

Integration and Free Trade

Africa must move away from over reliance on western countries .Africa must unite and a good start would be to improve regional integration initiatives and defy colonial borders, this will accelerate economic growth, industry competition, improve productivity and infrastructural development .Africa must leverage on the Africa’s Continental Free Trade which seeks to establish free trade among all 54 states on the continent. The Continental Free Trade will decrease reliance on the outside world for its growth. In order for Africa to stand shoulder to shoulder with the other developing countries it must start to integrate into world markets, it cannot compete as individual small poor economies .This fragmentation is a legacy of European colonialism. Colonial artificial borders must fall.

Education and Leadership

The colonialists instead of educating the African child on science and technology, they preferred literature and subaltern mind-set that would equip graduates with knowledge good enough to enable them to assist in the running of colonial governments. In as much as Africa has brilliant people, the intelligentsia fails to identify an indigenous system, coach and educate their future leaders. Correct education which responds to the needs of a country is the solution to poverty in African countries .The education system must be designed to provide knowledge and skills that could help to alleviate poverty in Africa. Africa’s biggest undoing is lack of leadership .Leadership that brings prosperity and in turn tackles the unique problems in Africa. Most African leadership is of service to foreign masters via their multinational companies, NGOs and other organisations.

Some African leaders have a tendency of leading others into a ditch while they get a reprieve .If Africa has to succeed, she has to jettison the crab mentality of underdevelopment and pursue unity of power and purpose.

Science and Technology

In this globalised village, it’s important for Africa to invest in science and technology by using its untapped natural wealth and human resources .Africa is falling behind in terms of science and technology .Invention and innovation of Europe for the past 300 years has helped it to be called civilised .Innovation and invention will liberate Africa from the dominance of globalisation .Most African countries import almost everything from toothpicks, nails and match sticks.

Africa suffers from energy hunger .How can Africa be a home of Uranium without even one nuclear power station The demand is ever increasing because of rapid population growth, urbanisation and economic productivity .The paradox of Africa’s energy deficit is that Africa is very rich in energy resources from large water bodies, rivers, plenty of sunlight, wind, and natural gas and oil. Iran has more power energy than whole Africa united except South Africa. Africa cannot industrialise without energy .Africa must harness its natural power resources with the assistance of African universities in terms of research and innovation. And the future of energy is in Lithium which is in abundance in Africa .African governments must invest in this sector and give incentives because increased energy access leads to improvements in healthcare, education, life expectancy and economic opportunities which increase GDP per capita.

Corruption

It is the responsibility of every African to fight against corruption .African governments and the western governments must assist in the fight against corruption by enacting laws that refuse to accept laundered money and tainted wealth from corrupt leaders and bureaucrats .Ill-gotten wealth must be returned to African countries and those culprits who fled with the loot must be exposed and extradited and prosecuted .African Union estimates that the continent loses as much as US$148 Billion a year to corruption .Mechanisms to hold politicians accountable must be put in place.

HIV/AIDS

AIDS is the world’s fourth biggest cause of death and Africa is the most affected, the HIV/AIDS pandemic has an adverse impact on labour supply in Africa, this is compounded by loss of skills in the key sectors of the labour market .The lengthy illness associated with AIDS reduces labour productivity, it reduces competitiveness and profits. Government tax revenues falls and poor African governments are under pressure to increase budgets in buying anti-retroviral drugs from western pharmaceutical companies to deal with the rising prevalence of AIDS, potentially creating fiscal crises.

This disease/pandemic must not be seen only as a medical problem but beyond that as it affects all components of human development in Africa. HIV/AIDS is stifling development by imposing a steady decline in the key indicators of human development and thus reversing the social and economic gains that Africans are striving to attain .It is a cause and consequences of poverty and underdevelopment, it diminishes chances of alleviating poverty and hunger .Achieving universal primary education, promoting gender equality, reducing child and maternal mortality and ensuring environmental sustainability will be a pipe dream.

Endless Conflicts and Political Stability

The problems of Africa are still very much connected to wars and conflicts .Why is it that Africans who have lived alongside each other for centuries suddenly decided to attack each other ? .There is no development which can happen when the country is not politically stable . Most African countries are landlocked and are surrounded by unstable and conflict ridden countries .One good example is Uganda, a land locked country bordered by South Sudan and DRC. Africa needs progressive and home grown opposition formations which are patriotic .The economic sanctions on Zimbabwe which are stifling economic growth are there at the behest of the opposition political party called the Movement of Democratic Change which was created and funded by the Westminster Foundation at the height of the Zimbabwe’s land revolution.

Disputed Elections

Disputed elections in post-colonial dispensations have become a threat to democracy , peace and stability within African countries FROM Gabon, Nigeria, Somalia , Kenya , South Sudan, DRC , Zambia, Angola , Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique , the continent is littered with a history of electoral disputes some which have degenerated into open civil strife .Most of the opposition parties attribute to skewed electoral laws which favours the sitting government some of the allegations by some opposition parties in Africa are credible but it has also become fashionable in Africa to dispute election outcomes .Disputed elections have become a bone of African politics and there is a lot of credence that post-election violence in Africa is externally induced by imperialist forces on the continent .There is now a growing culture of not accepting defeat in African politics. Instead of working together to move the country forward after elections, resources and precious time wasted by political parties to undermine each other and polarise the general citizenry .In the case of Ivoirian, the causes of electoral crises was electoral institutions and legislative.

Parliamentary party elections are Eurocentric , liberal and reformist in form and nature .This is a trap created by our enemies that still keep us in cosmological and epistemological bondage .We need to move away from European organisational patterns and systems and use our African organisational systems which are sociologically, culturally, structurally, psychologically and spiritually in tune with our nature , values and principles, but diametrically opposed to the Eurocentric system of white supremacy .A Africa must create its own reality than to be slaves of the white men and perpetuate white intellectual hegemony.

Conclusion

In conclusion donor or international aid should not be dependent upon forever and if possible it must be discontinued as most of it comes with conditions which do not benefit the African continent .International aid promotes dependency , laziness , redundancy and corruption.

On the other hand, some NGOs have helped Africa through support in health, education, governance and in some other sectors but this have been used to advance selfish goals and impose indebtness out of Africa’s vulnerability and instigate inferiority and loss of both socio and legal identity.

Poverty is standing in the way of continental economic growth and on top of that corruption , selfish, personal interests , power abuse, religious and ethnic differences are clogging the development trajectory .Africa must shun corruption, provide basic amenities including water, food, shelter, energy, education and security. If we microscopically look at what Africa is benefitting from international aid and what is going out of Africa in terms of profits, tax evasion and debt repayments the conclusion is that Africa is financing Europe , China and North America.

I refuse to lower my standards to accomodate those who refuse to raise theirs.