Zey Writes: The African Paradox; Poor In Riches

Author: Zainab Ahmed Himou

Africa is undoubtedly the continent most endowed with natural resources. It harbours within its bowels diverse natural resources such as gold, diamonds, sugar, oil and several others. However, Africa is rated as the poorest in the world. Millions of Africans are unable to satisfy their basic needs. What are we doing to curb that situation?

We have all it takes to redeem ourselves yet we choose to suffer. I would say, we Africans are the cause of our failures. Most of these crises are generated by us and those we choose as leaders. It all boils down to mismanagement of our lands and resources. We always rely on foreign aid to revive our economy. Poor governance, corruption, lack of education, political violence, ethnic conflicts and other environmental factors are major contributions.

Some of our leaders use their mandates for their own benefits without considering the afflictions they visit on the people. We have people who are skilled and have the potentials to exert good leadership skills in whatever field they practice but corruption and nepotism is now the order of the day. We overlook such qualities and place the wrong persons who jeopardize our resources.

Political violence and ethnic conflicts interrelate with poverty. Ethnic groups may quarrel over social, economic or political matters which threatens the peace and stability of the nation. Some African nations have experienced constant tribulations during elections and transition of power. It halts the nation’s development and wrecks the economy. Nelson Mandela once said “Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice” Africa is indeed a continent of wealth but a continent of poverty. It is incumbent on us to terminate our mediocre attitudes and mentalities, set our priorities right and elevate Africa from the shadows of poverty.

Zainab Ahmed Himou.
The Writer is a Youth-Activist.