From Blame Game to Game Theory: The Case of African Intellectuals Blaming the West for Africa's Socioeconomic Problems

One problem with the African intellectuals, both in academia and outside the academia, especially the progressives, is their unbalanced approach to diagnosing the countries' socioeconomic problems. By taking a balanced approach that acknowledges the complex realities of the situation, African intellectuals can help to foster productive dialogue and advocate for positive change. It is important to recognize that multiple factors contribute to economic challenges in Africa, and it is not productive to lay all the blame at the feet of the West. While colonialism has profoundly impacted the continent, it is not the only factor influencing current affairs. We need to move from blame game to game theory, using our knowledge and experience about human nature to understand why people do what they do and how we can use our psychological flaws and those of others to our advantage in our interaction with them.

Dependency theorists have influenced many African intellectuals. Dependency theory, first proposed by the Argentine economist and statesman Paul Prebisch, argues that the periphery position of the affected countries in the world economy mainly causes underdevelopment. Paul Prebisch's work parallels Wallenstein's world's economic systems and Walter Rodney's work, "How Europe Underdeveloped Africa." Many of those who did development economics and development policy at the graduate level in the late 80s and early 90s were heavily influenced by the work of these Marxist writers.

But one dependency theorist whose work has greatly impacted development theorists is Andres Gunder Frank, a German-American economist, and sociologist known for his contributions to the study of underdevelopment in the Third World. He was influenced by the Marxist ideology and believed that the underdevelopment of Third World countries resulted from the historical and ongoing exploitation of the underdeveloped countries by the capitalist powers. Frank, in his article entitled "The Development of Underdevelopment," stated his main thoughts as "underdevelopment is not due to the survival of archaic institutions and the existence of capital shortage in regions that have remained isolated from the stream of world history. On the contrary, underdevelopment was and still is generated by the same historical process which also generated economic development: the development of capitalism itself."

According to Frank, the development of the West was based on the exploitation of the Third World, which provided raw materials, cheap labor, and new markets for Western goods. He argued that this exploitation resulted in the underdevelopment of the Third World, characterized by poverty, inequality, and lack of industrialization. Frank's theory of underdevelopment emphasized the role of capitalism and imperialism in perpetuating the economic and social disparities between the West and the Third World. He argued that the capitalist system was inherently exploitative and that the global economy was organized in a way that benefited the West at the expense of the Third World.

Discussions about the impact of colonialism and the West's policies on African nations are not bad in themselves, but they do not provide solutions to our social and economic problems brought about by our elected leaders' moral failures and incompetence. We all acknowledge the historical and ongoing effects of colonialism on African societies, including the lingering economic, social, and political disparities that continue to exist in many countries.

But it is also equally important to recognize African leaders' role in shaping their nations' future. While colonialism has profoundly impacted the continent, it's not the only factor influencing current affairs. African leaders are responsible for prioritizing their citizens' needs and well-being, and working towards creating stable, prosperous societies. Dwelling exclusively on the impact of colonialism and current policies by the West leads to apathy or psychological inertia that may be expressed in social, economic, political, or ideological paralysis, with all the available energy for change locked up in a blame game. We become slothful, indifferent, disinterested, and disengaged.

Unfortunately, many of these educated people who have read thinkers like Thomas Hobbes and others forget about the natural condition of humans as "nasty, selfish, and brutish." According to Hobbes, individuals and nations are in a "war of all against all." He maintained that man is a wolf to man. That is humans, prey upon one another. This has been the case since Adam: powerful tribes warring against weaker tribes and taking everything they had as booty. Therefore, what the West has done or is doing is natural to humans. The West developed political and economic game theories based on Hobbesian theory to deal with other nations. What have we learned from Hobbesian theory?

The Hobbesian theory assumes that individuals are rational, self-interested, and competitive and that without a strong central authority, individuals will act in their self-interest, leading to a state of nature that is "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short." Hobbesian, and political and economic game theories provide important insights into human behavior and decision-making in strategic interactions. The political and economic game theory considers various factors influencing individual behavior, including social norms, cultural factors, and institutions. Game theories have important implications for political and economic systems, and can be used to design institutions and rules that promote cooperation and the common good.

Game theory is a mathematical framework that is used to analyze strategic interactions between two nations or more decision-makers. The theory has important applications in international relations, where decision-makers such as states, multinational corporations, and international organizations constantly engage in strategic interactions that affect their interests and outcomes. In this context, game theory can help us understand how decision-makers behave and make decisions and how we can design institutions and policies to promote cooperation and reduce conflicts.

A critical application of game theory in international relations is the analysis of international trade and economic cooperation. International trade is often characterized by strategic interactions, such as tariff wars, trade agreements, and currency manipulation that affect the economic interests of states and their citizens. Game theory can help us understand the incentives and strategies of states in these interactions and how they can be designed to promote economic cooperation and growth. Chinese are gradually destroying our natural resources, including our water bodies. African are borrowing large sums of money from China and interacting with the Chinese on many fronts, but we do not have a theoretical game plan to deal with them. How many people in Ghana dealing with the Chinese have read "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu, which has dramatically impacted Chinese thinking?

It is up to us to hold our leaders accountable and demand change. Our actions can involve advocating for policies that promote transparency and accountability, supporting grassroots movements, educating the masses about the power of their votes, and engaging in dialogue with leaders to push for meaningful reforms. By working together, we can help to create a better future for their continent.

Probably less than half of the money the Ghana government borrows goes into actual development projects, while the rest is stolen through offshore banking, kickbacks, overinflated costs, and other corrupt practices by our politicians and bureaucrats. Corruption is a significant obstacle to economic development and poverty reduction, undermining public trust in government institutions. One of the consequences of corruption is that it leads to a misallocation of resources. If government funds are being siphoned off into offshore bank accounts or used to pay kickbacks to corrupt officials, less money is available for public investments in infrastructure, education, health, and other vital areas. This significantly negatively impacts the country's development and its citizens' well-being.

Corruption also discourages foreign investment and reduces the effectiveness of foreign aid. When investors or donors see that funds are being stolen or misused, they are less likely to invest or provide aid to the country. This further limits the resources available for development and exacerbates poverty and inequality.

In order to address corruption in Ghana, it is essential to have strong anti-corruption measures in place, including transparent and accountable governance structures, effective oversight and enforcement mechanisms, and robust laws and regulations. Promoting a culture of integrity and transparency and ensuring citizens are empowered to hold their leaders accountable is also important. Finally, it is important to address the root causes of corruption, such as poverty and inequality, and to promote economic and social development sustainably and inclusively.

So what can African intellectuals do pragmatically? African intellectuals have a crucial role in improving African public policy and governance. By leveraging their expertise, they can help address the continent's development challenges and promote sustainable growth and development. They can conduct rigorous research to identify the root causes of problems facing African countries and propose evidence-based solutions. African intellectuals can advise policymakers and government officials on various issues ranging from economic development to education, healthcare, infrastructure, and social welfare. They can engage with civil society organizations to promote dialogue and advocacy on public policy and governance issues.

They can also participate in governance by running for political office, serving on advisory boards, or working in government agencies to implement policies that promote good governance. African intellectuals can educate the public on their rights and responsibilities as citizens and the importance of holding elected officials accountable. They can promote transparency in government operations by advocating for open data policies, supporting whistleblowers, and encouraging media freedom. Further, African intellectuals can foster innovation by supporting entrepreneurship and the development of new technologies that can improve governance and public service delivery.

Instead of African intellectuals blaming the West as the source of their socioeconomic problems, they should use game theory as a valuable tool in helping their governments to deal with western nations. Using game theory to analyze strategic interactions and decision-making, they can help their governments develop more effective negotiation strategies, understand power dynamics, allocate resources more effectively, and build coalitions to achieve their goals. They should move away from the "Blame Game," which is counterproductive, to "Game Theory," which is more productive.