Africa’s problems are its leaders

e people are languishing in poverty and diseases. Dear readers, what has happened to Zimbabwe is only one example of the drift from bad to worse that has become the hallmark of governance in Africa. Robert Mugabe is the unquestioned leader of Zimbabwe for over a quarter of a century. He has a large majority in parliament. His long innings in power should have given him a supreme confidence in himself and the country he is presiding over. But, his priority today is not to improve the economy, but to curtail the freedom of the people, as is seen from the bill on snooping that he has introduced in parliament this week. The bill would give the government the authority to monitor telephone calls and open private mails-actions that are seen as anti-people, and without any justification, given the situations there. Zimbabwe’s problem is its failed economy. More people are in poverty, and the farm sector, once the mainstay of the economy, is in disarray. But, the government is more interested in curtailing people’s freedom. If Africa has to reinvent itself and progress, the effort on the part of Mugabe and others should be to strengthen the systems and rein in the spectre of corruption and ineptness. Reports from the continent in this respect are, however, disheartening. For instance, an attempt by African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) to open government to closer scrutiny and make them more accountable, met with good response from the governments in countries like Mauritius and Botswana, but was cold-shouldered by the likes of Zimbabwe and Swaziland. This was despite the fact that it was a major AU initiative. How would nations progress when corruption is at its height? Assessments are that an estimated $140billion of the continent’s wealth was stolen and stashed abroad by corrupt dispensations. They find safe havens in foreign banks, and chances of their recovery are slim, also because of the lack of political will on the part of the leaderships. The pictures that emerge from Africa are grim. “From Niger in the west to Lesotho in the south, millions have endured food shortages due to drought and crop failure last year, while some 6 million people were reported to be on the brink of starvation in the Horn of Africa”, said reports earlier this year. Add to this the killings of millions in civil wars and cross-border violence in recent years in Sudan and elsewhere; or the large numbers who die of diseases like Aids. Aids killed 2.3 million people in the continent, as per statistics in a single year in 2004; and malaria kills a child every 30 seconds. Africa’s poor development is reflected in the fact that, while the continent is home to 10 percent of the world population, it accounts for less than 1.5 percent of the world trade. Contrast this with its seven percent share in the 1950s. If not much is going to Africa by way of investments, it is understandable. Who would do that when the systems are not strong, safety is at risk and corruption is unbridled.
If Africa must reinvent itself, it must modernize its systems and make it compatible with the systems of the developed world. Which is where it must require expertise from the developed world. More than the funds, it is expertise that will help Africa in the long run. Senior leaders like Mugabe must take the lead in these respects, rather than wasting time on matter like the bill on snooping. – Readers’ response may be forwarded to marg@khaleejtimes.com