Development mean accelerated growth in human and material resources of a nation. This paper tries to examine the role or absence of effect of leadership as the root cause of Africa’s underdevelopment. The write up upheld the view that the chief cause of the continent’s lag is the failure of leadership of Africa’s ruling classes in generating development in Africa.
The African continent is still facing serious challenges of development regardless of leadership changes and style .
Under development in Africa is mostly caused by the type of leaders that are elected to take leadership positions in Africa. Africa has many challenges but the centre of all challenges after independence is corruption. Most leaders that are elected in African countries after the independence are just after what they can accumulate for their families and friends to be rich. They play into the gallery of creating enabling environment when few continue to be rich and the poor continue to remain poor Before independence of most Africa states, most of their leaders have the innate desire to struggle for total liberation of their country from colonial and neo colonial powers. We can remember the struggle of Nelson Mandel of South Africa, Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, Joshua komo of These they do with zeal and commitment and that result in the speedy recovery of most Africa nations from colonial powers. Today the leadership pattern has not only shifted but aided by corruption in all levels of governance in Africa
African leaders are responsible for the current poverty and underdevelopment of Africa. African leaders, previous and current leaders have not been able to find a model that will work for Africa. Their focus has been on continuing importing western-based models which do not work for most African countries.
It would seem like corruption has become a norm in most African states and institutions. The lack of consequence on corrupt people in Africa has increased the levels of corruption on the continent. It is a common practice in Africa that corrupt leaders are never checked and even after their tenure they are still bold to parade themselves as leaders or god fathers of corruption. People who are committing a white-collar crime has been able to get away with it without any legal consequences. In Nigeria the largest Africa continuent, we have see so many leaders who stole the countries hard gain resources and deposit it foreign banks. No body question such act against humanity
Development in any society depends on the political will and commitment of the leaders. As Chinu Achebe of blessed memory aptly observed, that there is nothing wrong with Africa resources which were naturall gift to Africa countries, nothing wrongg with our fertile soil which support the growth of cash and economic crops over the years, nothing wrong with our huge human and material resources needed to generate developments at any level but our leadership question which is weak in all ramification. The weakness has immediate and long term effect on our unity as an entity and a state of Pan Africanism. Not a single Africa state can produce products that attract international market. We depend on importation of goods and services from China, America, Russia etc. We are never united but are naive about Africanism. The way we are going in Africa, we may need to be re colonies by super powers. Our leadership is weak with weak structures and institutions. We are weak politically, economically, socially and culturally.What is Africa Union, ECOWAS and other regional organizations are doing in integrating the unity of Africa? Politically we are not recognise as an entity as we depend on other continent to survive as a nation. In recent meeting of World General Assembly in New York, see how we are treated. The conference hall is empty when an Africa Head of State and government is speaking. They hardly listen to us even if what our leaders are saying is seriously relevant. The meeting prefer to listen to a Prime Minister of a small nation like Israel is talking. What does that mean to us? Our views are irrelevant even when they are relevant they have alternatives that is more better than what our leaders can offer.
No nation in Africa can producing anything. We are not trading with one another. Inter Africa trade is not less than 15 percent which is negligible in international trade. We are socially and culturally disorganised in Africa. We rather promote the cultural edifies of other continent at the expense of our own. Not a single Africa produce a car but rather assembly plants. No a single African nation that produce pharmatical drugs but depend on vaccines given to us by America or China, vaccines we knew nothing about.
Most of them have no independence conscience in defending the sovereignty of their respective countries or protecting the freedoms, liberties and social development of their peoples due to neocolonialism, political greed and corruption. This has been the character of some African leaderships in recent history. In African political systems, the tendency for power to consume leaders is very much real. We have been aware of all the African leaders who are overstaying in power. We have heard of African leaders who decided on serving for three terms in their Presidency. We know of leaders who are currently contemplating on second and third term presidency. We know that there is no upper age limit in African politics, and as such, politicians who have been in politics for decades are still refusing to give way to a younger generation. We can see therefore that political greed, power and money are the enemies of African political systems.
The danger, often, is that when the leadership takes the presidency as personal to holder, dictatorship tendencies come into play and democratic decency fades away in the political process. We know as well that leaders alone cannot hold onto such a status quo without the support of enablers in the security system, service sector, and political sell-outs. These altogether makes the African political environment unstable and aggravates internal tensions that often threaten the peace and security of the country.
There is no known international instrument to sanction African countries and African leaders for bad governance and corruption. The world powers are fond of addressing the effects of corruption, human rights violations, and addressing bad governance in Africa after those African leaders leave office, instead of dealing with these issues while they happen in the system of government.
The African continent is not poor; it is the looting and mismanagement of the resources that keeps Africa poor and the people become victims of poverty and malnutrition.
The principal culprits of such a sad situation are most of the African leaders. We see African leaders running reckless governments, living flamboyant lifestyles, abusing power, buying mansions overseas, opening offshore accounts, sending their children to expensive schools overseas, building mansions at hometowns, and more. The tragedy with Africa is that politics is seen as the fastest means of getting rich. The dreams of most of the political leaders for the advancement of their countries soon become expired when power and money gets in the way.
The politics of greed has rendered the economies of many African countries hanging in the balance between poverty and underdevelopment. One wonders how romantic economists determine that African economies are growing at higher rates when the realities on the ground speak volumes of misery and social backwardness
In my opinion, looking at the ECOWAS and its performance in regional integration, it is an organization that failed to achieve its vision in many aspects of integration.
This has shown that there is no serious commitment to regional integration, collaboration, and harmonization efforts to foster a conducive regional environment. In light of these shortcomings, it could be concluded that ECOWAS has shown failed leadership in moving the region forward.
ECOWAS is more of a political organization than a regional integration organization. What we have seen in recent times is the emergence of a club within ECOWAS that seeks to protect the political interest and the furtherance of self-perpetuating rule of power-hungry incumbents in the community.
For ECOWAS to be more credible and impactful, it must be seen to address not only the political aspects mainly of its vision but to brace up to the economic and social challenges facing the region. Lack of proper regional infrastructure, lack of proper communication and transportation networks, lack of food security, lack of free trade agreements, lack of a common language, lack of a common currency and more should attract the attention of the leadership of ECOWAS.
The regional leadership should wake up to these challenges and ensure that the citizens of the community live in economic prosperity and social development. ECOWAS is seen to be spending too much money on institution building the political leaders of the organization should consider the reversal of this situation. The maintenance of a regional environment for accelerated socioeconomic growth and development is a governance imperative and principal responsibility of the ECOWAS leadership.
A country like Dubai with less mineral resource endowment and with a small population has become the envy of the world for her rapid pace of development in all aspects of life. Most African countries have enormous mineral wealth and are larger in size than Dubai. The question, therefore, is how come Dubai is ahead of most African countries? The principal answer is good leadership and containment of corruption. If we look deeply into African public service, some heads of major public institutions are equally guilty of this practice.
We see the looting of the wealth of the nation on their foreheads and lifestyles.
Leadership in Africa is mostly poor, and there is no real answer to ending poverty in Africa. The ruling class continues to hijack the collective interest and well-being of the people and the nation states for their self-interest and hunger for wealth. The revenge of the poor will always come to them either through the ballot box or through rude awakening.
Under development in Africa is mostly caused by the type of leaders that are elected to take leadership positions in Africa. Africa has many challenges but the centre of all challenges after independence is corruption. Most leaders that are elected in African countries after the independence are just after what they can accumulate for their families and friends to be rich. They play into the gallery of creating enabling environment when few continue to be rich and the poor continue to remain poor Before independence of most Africa states, most of their leaders have the innate desire to struggle for total liberation of their country from colonial and neo colonial powers. We can remember the struggle of Nelson Mandel of South Africa, Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, Joshua Nkomo, the father of Zimbabwe, Jomo Kenyaata of Kenya, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe of Nigera and a host of others who then bestrode the political landscape of the countries. These they do with zeal and commitment and that result in the speedy recovery of most Africa nations from colonial powers. Today the leadership pattern has not only shifted but aided by corruption in all levels of governance in Africa
African leaders are responsible for the current poverty and underdevelopment of Africa. African leaders, previous and current leaders have not been able to find a model that will work for Africa. Their focus has been on continuing importing western-based models which do not work for most African countries.
It would seem like corruption has become a norm in most African states and institutions. The lack of consequence on corrupt people in Africa has increased the levels of corruption on the continent. It is a common practice in Africa that corrupt leaders are never checked and even after their tenure they are still bold to parade themselves as leaders or god fathers of corruption. People who are committing a white-collar crime has been able to get away with it without any legal consequences. In Nigeria the largest Africa continuent, we have seen so many leaders who stole the countries hard gain resources and deposit it foreign banks. No body question such act against humanity
Without effective leadership, Africa will never be able to overcome its challenges, achieve its full potential, and protect itself from environmental and human exploitation. We need to review our present leadership style to be people oriented and address the challenges of humanity. Without amendment to our leadership question, we will continue to be slave and lack economic potential to reposition Africa.
by Samuel Atumiye Shiaka, FCAI, Samlanz consultant services, Lokoja*