Africans or the West: Who is Underdeveloping Africa Now?

First published in May 2011

Image credit: Pixabay

I was at the 48th Africa Day 2011 celebration organised by the Africa Asia Scholars Global Network (AASGON) at the University of Medway, Kent on Thursday 26 May 2011.

AASGON is a social and economic empowerment organisation whose aim is to work to strengthen economic, educational, social and cultural ties that exist between the peoples of Africa and Asia leveraging the vision of the 1955 Bandung Spirit Network of countries of Africa and Asia as a model.

Talks centred mainly around under development and poverty in Asia and Africa and how much the West had contributed to the under development of these regions of the world. In settings such as this it was not surprising that European trade in African slaves, colonialism, imperialism, trade imbalance, racism, will take centre stage as familiar topics for discussion. Unarguably, the continents of Africa and Asia had suffered greatly from the actions of the West which has contributed, and continue to do so immensely to the predicaments of Africa and much of Asia today.

It is also true that Western trade and foreign policies continues to mount obstacles to the development of Africa and much of Asia today. In my opinion, it is far more important to focus on the part Africans, Asians and their governments had played and continue to play in their own under development. For example, Nigeria became an independent country in 1960 while Ghana gained independence three years earlier in 1957 without much to show for it so far. In these countries corruption and ineptitude are rife which had contributed to unstable and chaotic political and social environments in which economic development is practically nil.

Is it not arguable that the political class of these countries have done far more since independence to impoverish their countries, condemning countless souls to poverty through corruption and ineptitude than can be attributed to any third party. African leaders have not shown any desire to develop the continent by any standard. They are without focus, completely unaccountable and notorious for using their positions to corruptly enrich themselves, their families and close associates with impunity. They have failed to adopt policies and strategies that will heal Africa of the scares of slavery, colonialism, imperialism and servitude.

Africa has no coherent enabling economic strategy to enable it to gain from the benefits of globalization or mitigate against its negative effects. The reality is simply that chronically underdeveloped African countries, are losing out as a result of not being competitive enough. Africa is still in the shadows of competitors who are structurally fittest and better equipped technologically. During slavery and colonial epochs the West held sway in the exploitation of Africa. The baton of economic exploitation seem to be changing hands from the West to China and India aided by avaricious and corrupt African traitors.

It is time for well meaning Africans to begin to ask pertinent questions beyond just writing and talking about the failures of African politicians. According to the affable guest speaker at this occasion, Marika Sherwood, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth studies, "what is China doing in Africa"?