Is This An Overview?
This book expresses the problems in Africa, to rectify the
challenges that have kept Africa from success.
Understanding how to overcome the challenges, would mean Africa’s
success. The challenges come from
various sources such as foreign and domestic policies, leadership, culture, and
the environment. Leadership determines
much of what happens in a state, but few African leaders reciprocated the trust
and honor that their people gave them.
Many African states have been colonies, but a colonized past
does not justify the African leaders corrupt behavior years after gaining
independence. Many leaders misallocated
resources to benefit themselves rather than their people, even using repressive
methods on their people. Loans were made
to African states, with conditions that were meant to benefit them, but had the
opposite effect. Funds from loans and
donations have been taken by leaders, which deprived the funds from their
intended purpose, but also forced the people to repay the debts. More was repaid in servicing debt obtained
from inappropriate loans, then the aid Africa received. Aid has created a culture of dependence, as
the people rely on obtaining more aid rather than develop their own sources of
wealth.
Africa’s success needs to be built on democratic
representation, natural resource management, and a culture of peace that
supports fairness, compassion, and justice.
Although mired by challenges, many people live their lives
responsibility. The people have the
capacity and ability to overcome the challenges that they face. To build the political, economic,
environmental, and cultural institutions that would enable African
success.
How Did Africa Gain Sovereignty?
Many African states used to be colonies of European
power. European powers wanted to exploit
Africa’s resources, rather than develop the region. There were African people who cooperated with
the colonizers, who benefited by getting resources and positions that they
would not have had otherwise. These
cooperators supported the undermining of their own people.
There were Africans who fought in WW2, and learned the
strategies of warfare. When Europe was
weakened after WW2, and the Africans came back home, they used what they
learned to start liberation campaigns. After
gaining political independence, there were few African leaders who put their
people first. Often turning against the
people who gave them power and privilege.
The African leaders did not even change the colonial systems of
governance that exploited people and resources.
As African states gained independence, European powers wanted
to maintain a supply of resources.
Europeans used tactics to make sure that power was held with those who
would politically cooperate. Favoring
cooperative African leaders economically and militarily. Cooperative leaders were protected from
coups, and their human rights violations were not questioned. African leaders who wanted to develop Africa
or remained nonaligned, were denied support.
Africa was used as part of the Cold War between U.S. and the
Soviet Union. Using Africa against
Communism and U.S. expansionism.
Divisions within Africa were fostered.
During this era, bad governance was ignored, while those who were
uncooperative were removed or made irrelevant.
What Is Africa’s Political Structure?
Leadership is meant to express the values of the people, and
determines how a society functions. Few
African leaders have returned the trust that their people put in them. Politicians misallocated resources to satisfy
themselves or investors at their people’s expense. Rather than investing into the productive
capacity of their people.
Leaders can find them prisoners of those who helped them
obtain power. Alternatively, they might
not want to leave office for fear of reciprocated persecution by a different
government. Leaders can lose a lot when
relinquishing power. Fighting
dictatorship with democratic means is difficult, especially dictatorships which
abused human rights.
Colonialism no longer justifies bad governance after decades
of independence. Inexcusable for failing
to protect their citizens, or respond defensively when citizens seek help. Leadership needs to stop being corrupt and
selfish. Leadership can be demonstrated
by everyone, not just those on top.
Those in a leadership position may not be true leaders.
African states are composed of loose collection of ethnic
communities, micro-nations. Brought
together by colonial power. The number
of people within the ethnic group determines political power. African leaders claim to support the state,
while identifying with micro-nation to divide people and control them. They used their ethnicity to gain and maintain
power. Disloyalty to an ethnic group is
politically dangerous, even physically dangerous.
How Did Loans And Trade Policies Effect Africa?
The international community did provide bad trade and loan
policies, but not all problems came from the international community. The international community wanted to help
Africa. Imposing conditions that were
meant to combat poverty and enable growth, but had the opposite effect. African states were offered or urged to take
on loans that were inappropriate to Africa.
Many loans were simply a front for official corruption. Conditions included a reduction in social
programs.
Loans were made to African leaders even after demonstrated
corruption, and the leaders behaving irresponsibly. A significant portion of the funds were
appropriated by leaders. Used for the
leader, rather than on the people they were intended for.
Loans were extended to support friendly leaders, and
favorable business arrangements. Access
to loans was a way to control African leaders.
Making leaders who were more accountable to international donors than
their own people.
As debt needed to be repaid with interest, Africa ended up
replaying more money than the amount received in aid. A vicious cycle of indebtedness, which
required reduced government expenditures, increased privatization, changing or
terminating social services.
These are illegitimate debts as the loans were
inappropriate, and the leaders discredited.
The debt is taking resources out of Africa rather than providing for
basic functions they were meant to provide.
Foreign government made trade agreements with African
states, which over extracted African resources.
While industrialized states protected their markets and were unwilling
to remove their protection, Africa could not protect their markets.
Africa experienced a resource curse, as they lacked the
technology to use the resources and had to rely on others to exploit and share
the finished products. African
government did not diversity their economies.
Africa did not develop industries to have the capacity to add value to
the resources by producing finished products, or supported African
entrepreneurs or markets.
How Does Culture Effect Africa?
Funding is important, but if that was the sole problem, then
problems would have been resolved. There
are problems with the aid delivered such as African government and people are
not active participants in development.
Aid can leave people dependent rather than empowered. Dependent on getting more aid, rather than
developing their own practices to produce wealth. Aid delivers short-term benefits without
long-term results. Dependency that has
led Africa into passivity, fatalism, and failure. Africans have come to believe that they
cannot act on their own behalf. Eroding
self-determinations and values of independence.
A disempowerment that puts African lives in the hands of others.
Money that comes through aid does not get used
appropriately. Party due to
misunderstanding or subverting donor intentions for the money. Party because people do not feel
responsibility for the money.
Many resolutions to problems are temporary with aid. As the people do not take an active part in
the resolutions, they do not understand the reasons for the resolutions, and
therefore fall back into their prior habits.
They also do not take responsibility for the community’s continued
development.
Africa has a lot of natural resources, and human
resources. The problem is channeling
Africans’ capabilities into effective action for development. Properly targeted and spent aid can develop
people.
Africa is perceived as ruled by injustice, even though many
Africans live their lives responsibility.
The image of African helplessness and suffering undermines Africans. Africa does have problems, and some
governments do need to be shamed into taking actions against the problems.
How Do Africans Use The Environment?
Africa’s resources are being over extracted, but it is also
the people who use the flora and fauna inappropriately. Misuse of land that leads to soil erosion and
desertification. Destructive land use
partly comes form the lack of information due to neglected state agricultural
services.
Caveats?
This is a systematic account of the
African continent. There is limited
information on specific African states. To
understand the political and economic situation of each state would require
more research.
As the book’s title indicates, the book is about the
challenges to Africa. The problems that
Africans have been confronting, and the problems that need to be resolved. Decisions that are to be avoided. There is limited information on the decisions
that would be appropriate. Limited
references to quality leadership, policies, and resolutions which would provide
examples of African states efforts to succeed.
