Two weeks ago I published the first part of this article, in which I analysed the arguments for and against the renewed scramble for Africa between the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) – comprising the United States of America and Western Europe, and the BRICS countries comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The BRICS bloc – which had been declining for some time – is now gaining attention and sympathy from some developing countries, especially African countries following the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
The resurgence of BRICS has certainly been a concern to the western bloc. I have gathered that the BRICS bloc is mobilising to establish its versions of the World Bank and IMF to balance the powers of these western institutions. But what benefit will Africa derive from the rivalry between the two blocs? What does Africa really need from both blocs – industrialisation or aid? This second part focuses on Africa’s need for more technology transfer and industrialisation – not aid, as has aid done little if anything to transform/develop Africa’s economies.
Western narrative
In 2008, when I was Editor of the Public Agenda newspaper, I was sponsored by the German government to observe and report on the historic Bavarian elections. I observed the election in a small town 30 minutes’ drive from Munich: when we arrived at the polling station, a German greeted me and led me to where they had served food and drinks. He genuinely showed interest to ensure I ate to his satisfaction. I smiled back and assured him that I already eaten at the hotel and did not need more food at that early hour. I understood his concern for me as an African – who must have been hungry all the way from Ghana. Many Europeans grew up sitting behind televisions and watching the media narratives on how Africans are hopeless, unable to feed themselves and needing food handouts from their benevolent western brothers and sisters. This narrative still forms part of the western agenda to dehumanise Africans by presenting only the negative side of Africa.
For ages, Africans have been portrayed globally as retrogressive and backward people who cannot champion their own interests and causes, and continually depend on western aid. Of course, the west cannot be entirely blamed for the negative publicity Africa continues to receive – because African leaders and intellectuals, including those in the Diaspora, have done little if anything to rewrite this negative portrayal of Africa across the world. In many instances, African leaders and intellectuals’ have become willing tools for western powers to use in destabilising the continent. Thus, for ages Africa’s global brand has been ‘begging’ for food and money, despite the enormous amount of resources nature has endowed the continent with.
Inefficient leaders
Not only has aid been engineered to trap many countries in perpetual debt, but it has also subsidised the political and economic inefficiency of many African leaders. Foreign aid is fuelling corruption in some African countries – because no matter the level of bad leadership, western countries and international development agencies continue to work with these non-performing leaders. The net result is that some African countries end up implementing ‘development projects’ that are irrelevant to the needs of their people. Africa’s current development interventions are designed to suit the interests of foreign donors; and so they remain the benevolent providers. Therefore, Africa is beset with inefficient systems which benefit foreign donors. That is why they will continue trapping us with debt and aid, while continuing to exploit our natural resources.
The aid conundrum
Over the last six decades, Africa has received more than one trillion dollars in aid – with conditions attached, of which some debar African countries from producing food for consumption. But has aid changed the continent in any way? The answer is “no”. This is because both practically and theoretically, foreign aid cannot transform the continent. Aid is designed to ensure that Africa will continually depend on it. Some economic analysts have argued that foreign aid is actually making Africa poorer each day, because aid has created enough chronic dependence to the point of making Africans forget how to hunt for themselves. The fact that more than half of the 54 African countries still depend on foreign aid and financial support to balance their budgets makes Africa’s condition more precarious.
Undoubtedly, aid is killing the few local industries struggling in Africa as more Africans consume foreign goods more than local goods. Over the years, the structural adjustment and trade liberalisation programmes imposed by the World Bank and IMF compelled African countries to disinvest in local initiatives and productivity in favour of a market liberalisation that encouraged the dumping of highly subsidised goods from abroad. Dumping is a deliberate policy to make sure local products become uncompetitive.
To get out of the debt and aid trap, first we need to liberate our minds from mental slavery – as the legendary Bob Marley prophesied years ago. Secondly, we need to find African solutions to African problems, since no foreign power will proffer solutions for Africa to transform economically. Africans must begin to unleash our creative energies wisely; and holding our governments accountable to reduce the dependence on development aid is the only economic solution. Recently, Eritrea started to reject some forms of foreign aid with strings designed to thwart the march toward local transformation. Eritrea struggled for some time without the foreign aid, but today they are on the road to becoming economically self-sufficient – at least in food production.
Ghana Beyond aid
Six years ago, Ghana launched its new development policy called ‘Ghana Beyond Aid’. In my simplest understanding of the policy, Ghana is not saying that we no longer need foreign aid, but we want to look beyond the aid. This policy is a commitment by government to invest in local industrialisation and food production. We no longer want to be eating fish and food we do not produce. We want our foreign partners to help us fish for ourselves – we want access to the fish. This will enable the country to improve food security and reduce imports of unnecessary foreign goods. Is there anything wrong with any country trying to wean itself from overdependence on foreign support? Rather, Ghana is requesting genuine foreign support in the form of technological transfer to transform the structure of our economy – from a predominantly importing country to a local industrialisation and exporting one.
Our future is bleak if we continue receiving aid from others. In this regard, Africa needs genuine partners who are ready to help the continent to industrialise and take a commanding role in the management of our economies and natural resources. Honestly, Africa does not need military pacts; we need industrialisation, technology transfer and access to western markets for our finished products, just as the west has unfettered access to our markets.
I challenge Europe and the U.S.A. to point out any African country they have helped to industrialise since the end of chattel slavery and direct colonialism? Can the IMF and World Bank provide evidence that their interventions over the years have industrialised any African country? Arguably, the actual principle behind the World Bank and IMF’s formation is to discourage poor countries from producing their own food and basic goods to become self-sufficient. In fact, since Europeans and Arabs invaded Africa we have suffered, and continue to suffer pain and rejection by the same powers that depend on the continents’ resources to sustain their economies. It is now time for African leaders to rise to the challenge and help break the colonial shackles which have held Africa down since European/Arab invasions and domination overcame us centuries ago.
Mindset change
In one of his exquisite, inspiring and erudite speeches, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah pointed out that “Africa is not poor, it is Africans who are poor because of the foreign exploitation of Africa’s natural resources”. According to Dr. Nkrumah, the problem with Africa is that “our attention has been diverted from the real challenges confronting us, we have been distracted from who we are”.
In one of her campaigns to emancipate Africa from colonial shackles, Dr. Arikana Chihomboria lamented that only Africa has less control over its resources compared to other continents. According to her, it is time for African leaders to wake up from their sleep and take control of Africa’s unlimited resources for economic transformation. She argues that most corruption occurring in Africa is instigated by western multinationals: so that while people in countries like DRC, Mali and Burkina Faso are fighting, the multinationals are busily exploiting their resources.
According to Dr. Chihomboria, a stable Africa cannot be exploited; so it is always in the west’s interests that Africa remains unstable and underdeveloped. “For a continent that doesn’t have a single gun-manufacturing facility, Africa is home to some of the deadliest weapons. Who is supplying the guns, is it okay that Africa continues to be exploited for the benefit of the rest of the world?” she asked.
Foreign debts
Another glaring example of the unfair economic order which continues to hold Africa down is that we owe and are paying our debts in foreign currency. This means that African countries have a global economic commitment to produce cash crops for export to earn foreign currency, especially United States dollars to pay the debts and accumulating interest rates. These cash crops are produced at the expense of local food for consumption. If Africa were to concentrate on local food production and industrialisation, we would reduce the over-importation of food and other consumer items. The fact, however, is that the rest of the world cannot survive without Africa’s natural resources – and they will do everything within their power to maintain Africa as a producer of cash crops for foreign economies.
Population control
Not only are Africa’s natural resources being exploited, but every foreign policy programme about population control targets Africa. It is well-documented that the HIV/AIDs virus was manufactured specifically to infect and reduce the population of Africa. It is also on record that Bill Gates, one of the world’s billionaires, is financing a project to reduce the world population. Dr. Robert Young, speaking at the International Tribunal for Natural Justice affirmed that Bill Gates and his colleagues insist “three billion of the world’s population need to die because the world is over-populated” – and Africa is the target of this arrogant posture by Bill Gates and his team.
The agenda is to sterilise many Africans using synthetic molecules disguised as medicine. According to Dr. Young, Africans are the target of population reduction because Africans are “vulnerable and worthless”. Dr. Young added that: “Africans are not part of the world economy, they are suppressed and good for experiments”. The question is why is Africa hated so much by the rest of the world? Why does the rest of world not want Africans to survive, multiply and progress?
Despite its current condition, many Africans are optimistic that as long as Africa remains fundamental to global prosperity, Africa will lead the global revival in future. A new brand of leaders must emerge to change the narrative of Africa.
