The Doom Days Of Africa; The Triple Effect. Where Did We Go Wrong - Robert Dambo Writes

The writer

Africa is being touted as the richest continent which is without a doubt. The continent is rich with about 65% of the world’s potential hydroelectric power yet we sleep in darkness.

We are very rich with more than half of the world’s gold but we have no refineries hence the chineese are the beneficiaries. The world’s leading producer of cocoa, talk of diamond, cobalt, chromium, coltan.

Where did we go wrong???
It is intructive to critically note the following “TRIPPLE EFFECTS”

A. Bad leaders and managers.
All of us are leaders but not all can lead a philosopher once said.

Africa can boast of great leaders such as Kwame Nkrumah, Thomas Sankara, Patrice Lumumba who fought for independence to put the country on the pedestal in time past.

The legacies bequeathed to us by our forefathers is worth emulating but we have gone nugatory to the ideals they stood for. They dreamt of perpetually emacipation of the continent politically, Socially and economically but we could hold unto the goodwill left us. God has given us enough for everyone’s need but not for someone’s greed and there is absolute contrast to this quote in Africa.

The current crop of African leaders are not only responsive and responsible but clueless people who sing praises of getting more aid than to create them. Good, effective and efficient leaders make good use of scarce resources to impact society. Our resources are in abundance but bad leaders get least out of the most desired inputs.

African leaders are schooled in the best of institutions across the world with big titles and accorlades but in actual fact, that supposed title do not yield anything fruitful to the citizenry. They attend the standford university, Oxford to mention but a few, what significant impact have they had on the continent.

The U.S.A have a policy for Africa, Europe, Asia etc all have a policy for Africa but what have Africa for Africans???

ECOWAS and AU are contumacious and cannot provide solace. The free movement of person’s, goods and services is nicely stipulated in a single document black and white but what is it essence.

Africa leaders are greedy and have high quest for wealth at the detriment of the citizenry.

African leaders boast of dreams on allowance tea tables but sleep and wake up to implement nightmares. Bad leaders have made us slaves on our own lands. Our gold is cheaply mined and corruptly sold. Leadership ineptitude is our bane.

Africa is poor due to poor and bad leadership. Africa can be the richest continent if we so desire. Have it ever crossed your mind the gains we stand to make should we decide to trade among ourselves. The opportunities are here in African currencies but our leaders want corrupt dollars, pounds and euros at the detriment of our trade benefits.

B. The Resource Curse.
“Africa’s biggest problem today lies with the leadership, they are so removed from the people that they are looked upon as foreigners. They are driven by self-interest so excessive that their peoples interest are forgotten, hardly different from the colonial masters” John Hayford.

Africa is often touted as the fasted growing economy but the quickest wallowing continent on the blink.

Africa is often seen as racing behind Europe, Asia and the America’s but we are toddler’s missing our stairs/steps. “In the abundance of food and water the fool is thirsty” Bob Marley.

Africa is not poor, cannot be poor and should not be poor but why are we wallowing in abject poverty???

Africa is the richest but the highest begging population that die on preventable diseases such us cholera and tuberculosis etc. We have gold, diamond, chromium, coltan, oil, timber and millions of hectors of untilled land.

Africa is fighting on food sufficiency, dying of hunger yet we are not making good use of our land.

Africa boast of gold but we still import Jewellery and we don’t have gold processing plants. We sit on treasures yet we beg.

How many gallons of oil does Nigeria refine likewise Ghana. The U.S.A, UK and China is rather enjoying our riches. Some Africans think we are perpetually cursed and if we don’t realise our mental subversion, we can’t grow.

Our lands are raped and Abused all because we couldn’t build on what was left to us. Can’t we define and develop an African brand by developing and sharing technology to our benefit.

C. Corruption (Almighty)
Corruption is a dishonest gain. Corruption is like a chain of reaction in Africa, it revolves from top to down.

The very institutions that is supposed to protect and provide for our need rather exploit us. African leaders are greedy and have high-quest for wealth.

African leaders have caused the continent to lose between $1.4 trillion from 1980-2010.

Some school of thought believe corruption to be a turmoil or cancer that lacks antidote. “Corruption is one of the most formidable challenges to good governance, development and poverty reduction” Transparency International report (2008).

Corruption have devastated and shot down many beautiful dreams.

Policy think-tanks, civil society, pressure groups lack the ability to critique the ill’s of government because they risk going hungry. Corruption cut across in Africa but we need a new African to be able to effect change in our body politics and lives.

African leaders have never made good use of the procurement authority, it is often abused to safe and salvage our masquerading legitimate robbery.

African leaders think of what they are offered not what they can offer to alleviate the plight of the people.

We must begin to hold our leaders accountable. Have you ever asked yourself the business opportunities that lies in Africa and how we can tap on those opportunities.

I am a sad African.