Is Religion Africa’s Greatest Obstacle to Development?

Religion plays a deeply divisive role in many countries and often provides an additional cause for conflict. That is not necessarily the case everywhere. For example, Ghana remains relatively peaceful despite being ranked among the world’s most religious countries. Nevertheless, religion has the potential to create division under certain conditions.

One concern is the issue of unproductive investments. Across many societies, increasingly large churches are constructed, and some of the wealthiest and most influential institutions are religious organizations. Significant financial resources flow into religious activities - funds that might otherwise contribute more directly to local economies if invested in businesses, infrastructure, or education.

Another concern is the promotion of unhelpful beliefs. In parts of West Africa, for instance, some religions appear to adapt their messages to align with pre-existing cultural beliefs in magic and the supernatural. The idea that problems will resolve themselves through prayer and belief alone may discourage practical problem-solving and critical thinking.

Closely related to this is the problem of misinformation. When religious authority is used to disseminate incorrect or misguided information, the consequences can be harmful rather than helpful. The long-standing controversy surrounding condom use and the Catholic Church is one widely publicized example of how religious teachings can influence public health outcomes.

On balance, religion may not always be beneficial, and in some countries it may cause more harm than in others. When religion contributes positively, it often does so in ways that are organic and locally rooted. External interventions, such as short-term mission trips, are unlikely to provide lasting solutions to Africa’s complex challenges.

There are two quotations that frequently illustrate these concerns.

Robert A. Heinlein, in Friday, writes:

“A religion is sometimes a source of happiness, and I would not deprive anyone of happiness. But it is a comfort appropriate for the weak, not for the strong. The great trouble with religion - any religion - is that a religionist, having accepted certain propositions by faith, cannot thereafter judge those propositions by evidence. One may bask at the warm fire of faith or choose to live in the bleak certainty of reason - but one cannot have both.”

Steven Weinberg similarly stated:
“Religion is an insult to human dignity. With or without it, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.”

Both quotations highlight what critics consider a central failing of religion: the triumph of faith over reason. When individuals accept propositions by faith alone, they may feel absolved from evaluating those beliefs critically. Religion can allow responsibility to be transferred to divine authority. Under such reasoning, nothing is unconscionable if it is believed to be divinely ordained. Harmful actions may be justified as part of “God’s mysterious ways,” a phrase often invoked to defend outcomes that would otherwise be morally troubling.

It is, therefore, unsurprising that some people of conscience question religion’s role in society. One might ask where a theocracy has demonstrably advanced freedom and human rights. The counterexamples are often easier to identify.

A study conducted by the Washington-based Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, titled Tension and Tolerance: Islam and Christianity in Sub-Saharan Africa, was based on more than 25,000 interviews conducted in over 60 languages across 19 countries. The study found that Africans are among the most religious people in the world.

According to the findings, at least half of all Christians in Sub-Saharan Africa believe Jesus will return in their lifetime. One in three Muslims in the region expects to witness the re-establishment of the Caliphate and the Islamic Golden Age before they die.

The study also reported that at least three out of ten people across much of Africa claimed to have experienced divine healing, witnessed exorcisms, or received direct revelations from God. Approximately one quarter believe that sacrifices to ancestors can protect them from misfortune. Significant numbers believe in charms and amulets, consult traditional religious healers, and keep symbolic items such as animal skins and skulls in their homes.

These findings raise an important question: Does strong religious belief contribute positively to development, or does it sometimes hinder it?

Historically, both Christianity and Islam were intertwined with systems of slavery. European missionaries at times owned slaves and participated in the slave trade. Converted Christians were not always exempt from enslavement. Similarly, in parts of Africa such as Sofala, Mombasa, Mogadishu, and Zanzibar, enslaved Africans - whether Muslim or not - were traded to Arab merchants.

During roughly two centuries of colonialism, beginning with early European exploration and culminating in the end of apartheid in South Africa in 1994, many Africans retained the religions introduced by colonizers. In South Africa, for example, many Christian adherents did not challenge the apartheid system, even as they professed beliefs in equality before God.

Traditional African religions, meanwhile, have often been dismissed as primitive. Yet some argue that countries which preserved their cultural and religious identities - such as China and Japan—have achieved significant development. While both Asia and Africa experienced colonization, parts of Asia retained more of their cultural continuity. Today, many Asian economies are thriving, supported by strong cultural identity and social cohesion.

Some critics contend that Christianity has not fully addressed Africa’s social challenges. They also note that Europe, once the center of Christendom, now has many empty cathedrals and increasingly secular societies.

The argument follows that unless Africa moderates its intense religious zeal and promotes systems that prioritize development and practical governance, progress may remain limited.

Economic development in the Arab world, for example, has often been attributed more to oil wealth than to religion itself. Historically, religion has sometimes been associated with forms of oppression that slowed development. Many argue that religion is safest when it does not dominate political life.

The French Revolution provides a significant historical case. Between the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, France underwent dramatic political, philosophical, and social transformation. The Catholic Church, once the largest landowner in France, saw its power reduced. The revolution promoted the ideals of liberté, égalité, fraternité (liberty, equality, fraternity), which diminished the Church’s influence.

Church properties were nationalized in 1789. Public worship and religious education were restricted. In the late nineteenth century, the Ferry Laws secularized education, removing religion from classrooms and excluding priests and nuns as teachers. In 1905, France formally separated church and state, codifying the principle of laïcité.

France today is considered one of Europe’s liberal democracies, emphasizing secular governance and human rights. However, tensions have arisen over religious expression in public life. The French government banned full-face veils in public schools, arguing that overt religious symbols contradict secular values. The Stasi Commission, a 23-member committee, recommended banning conspicuous religious symbols - including skullcaps, headscarves, and large crosses - in public schools. Opinion polls indicated strong public support for the measure, including support from a portion of the Muslim population.

The debate illustrates an ongoing tension between religious identity and secular public policy. Critics argue that when religion heavily influences politics, it can slow social and economic progress.

Religion has also intersected with education policy in Africa. In The Long Walk to Freedom, Nelson Mandela recounts that access to quality education in parts of southern Africa was historically tied to Christian baptism. This raises questions about how many individuals were excluded from advancement due to religious requirements.

Egypt, once prosperous under various religious systems, later faced economic decline influenced by governance failures and external pressures. Some analysts argue that political entanglement with religion has compounded its challenges in modern times.

In conclusion, religion remains a powerful social force. While it can provide community, identity, and moral guidance, critics argue that it may also hinder development when it overrides reason, influences politics excessively, or discourages critical inquiry. The key issue may not be religion itself, but the extent to which it shapes public policy, education, and economic priorities.

Elijah Adjei Boakye is a Ghanaian-trained journalist, educator, writer, and unapologetic critic of blind faith and intellectual complacency. As the founder of The Faith Mirror (www.thefaithmirror.com), he challenges sacred assumptions, questions inherited beliefs, and confronts the intersection of religion, politics, and power in Africa. He believes that no idea - no matter how revered - should be immune from scrutiny.

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