For Africa to develop, the drive must come from within

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The economic and political vortex for Africa’s development will come from within: all others should be enablers. The competition for the attention of Africa and its concomitant gains for competitors have been at the forefront of geopolitics in recent years. There have been different views on where African states must look in their effort to achieve development and socio-economic transformation. Some have urged pro-West cooperation with democratic principles and values as fundamental tenets that would ensure development and stability. Others have encouraged the opposite: a more eastward approach with rising China as a leader. They have asked African states to join Brics. There are others who believe that Africa must not take sides. They seem to re-echo what Ghana’s first president advocated in the 1960s: “Don’t look right or left, look forward”. This essentially means cooperating with both sides while prioritising your interests.

My stance on African countries adhering to democratic principles is quite clear. With almost every country being multi-ethnic and therefore, multicultural, democracy offers answers to how every group can be sufficiently represented in the nation-building process. Concerning economic development, I posit that the largest economies on the continent have what it takes to create the necessary space for  the smaller economies to thrive. Currently, South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Algeria, Ethiopia, Morocco, and Kenya, despite some challenges, possess the qualities that could help drive Africa forward. Even in the European Union where poverty is not as widespread, the bigger economies of Germany, France, Italy lead the economic path. While this leadership could be de-facto, when it is consciously coordinated, each economic powerhouse could help create a vortex in the region that pulls smaller economies along. This could be in the form of transnational infrastructure projects, progressive economic protocols, security leadership, and economic support regimes. Consequential leadership is critical to achieving this. For instance, Nigeria leading the way to build a transnational railway that links Lagos with other major cities in West Africa could be a great initiative. Something similar in the Horn of Africa led by Ethiopia and Kenya could also be revolutionary.

All countries pretending to be equal is not a smart idea. The interests and concerns of smaller economies should be addressed while they allow the bigger ones to lead. All other international partnerships may, therefore, be auxiliary to a greater African leadership by its giants. Before Africa joins any externally-led group, it needs to first join itself. The African giants must ensure that they are worth following.

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