(JollofNews)- Once again the heads of states in Africa are meeting in their usual bi-annual summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. As usual the pomp and pageantry will take place, wasting public resources at the detriment of the lives of their citizens and nothing will change.
In the first place the Ethiopians do not consider themselves African, at least not like the rest of us. One can see that when you visit the country. It is the only African country where you will not find other African communities living and working in Addis Ababa, as you would find Sierra Leoneans in Banjul, or Liberians in Lagos, or Angolans in Kinshasa or Malians in Accra or Ugandans in Dar-es-Salam, etc. For Africans to enter Ethiopia one has to get a visa yet it is the seat of the African Union that aims to unify Africa. AU must be removed out of Ethiopia!
The high rise building that houses the AU headquarters is built and donated by China. This is the country, which is greedily swallowing the raw materials of Africa with a speed and scale never seen since the days of European Enslavement of Africans. Every year, China makes over 200 billion US dollars out of Africa. This is apart from the damage it causes to the environment in Africa and the tax evasion that its large state companies commit inside Africa. China is depleting Africa’s fishes. Stop China!
The AU said the summit is focused on the youth yet all of these leaders are more than half a century old. By the end of 2016, the average age of African presidents is 66, while the average median age of the continent’s population is 20. Yet majority of this young people are steeped in poverty, illiteracy, conflict, exploitation and oppression by their own governments.
Consequently, scores of African youths are fleeing their motherland through dangerous journeys across the Sahara and the Mediterranean. Many of them starve to death while many more drown only for the rest to languish in prisons in Libya and treated like slaves. Many others are in detention centres in Italy, Spain, Malta, France and UK and many other places across Europe.
Yet the continent is rich in every sense of the word. A study commissioned by the EU Parliament in 2011 found out that currently 500 oil companies are estimated to operate in the African upstream oil and gas industry. The biggest five players with market capitalization between $150 billion and over $500 billion include the multinational oil giants ExxonMobil, BP, Shell, Total and Chevron. Meanwhile the masses of Africa live on less than $2 a day!
As opposed to Africa’s leaders, the leaders of China on the other hand are seriously working to secure the economic and political future of their country. On 5 May 2017 China launched its first passenger aircraft. Already they have built their own naval aircraft carrier while their divers reached the deepest levels of the ocean as their astronauts shoot up to the highest points of space. China is already a nuclear power.
In 2013, Pres. Xi Jinping launched his ‘Belt and Road Initiative’, a visionary blueprint for global economic development in the 21st century for China. Taking reference from the historic Silk Road, which transformed the nature of international trade links in ancient times, the Belt and Road Initiative is essentially a strategy of the Chinese for global dominance.
For that matter they are building roads, railways and sea routes from China across to Europe, Asia, Middle East and Africa covering more than 60 countries carrying merchandise from and to China. The first of such routes already opened between China and UK on 19 January 2017 when the first ever-direct freight train service from China arrived in London after an epic 17-day journey spanning ten countries on its 7456-mile trip.
Meanwhile Africa’s leaders think of nothing other than to stay in power for as long as they wish regardless of their efficiency and commitment to the supreme interests of their people. They preside over corrupt, over bloated and useless governments that are only good at producing more poverty and deprivation. Consequently provision of basic social services such as electricity, water, healthcare and access to roads or literacy among others is lowest in Africa than any other parts of the world. Human development remains at low to medium across the continent.
Freedom House reports that more than 75% of Africans live in ‘Not Free’ societies. The Mo Ibrahim Foundation reports that 10 of the 25 fastest growing economies in the world between 2004 and 2014 are African economies yet these have not created enough jobs for the youth. By 2050 half of the continent’s population will be less than 25.
Here is the shameful list of tyrants and corrupt leaders most of who have already spent more than 10 years in power, oppressing and impoverishing their people with impunity while they enrich themselves and their families and cronies.
1. President – Abdelaziz Bouteflika, President of Algeria (1999–present)
2. President – José Eduardo dos Santos, President of Angola (1979–present)
3. President – Pierre Nkurunziza, President of Burundi (2005–present)
4. President – Paul Biya, President of Cameroon (1982–present)
5. President – Idriss Déby, President of Chad (1990–present)
6. President – Denis Sassou Nguesso, President of the Republic of the Congo (1997–present)
7. President – Joseph Kabila, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2001–present)
8. President – Ismaïl Omar Guelleh, President of Djibouti (1999–present)
9. President – Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, President of Egypt (2014–present)
10. President – Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, President of Equatorial Guinea (1979–present)
11. President – Isaias Afwerki, President of Eritrea (1991–present)
12. President – Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, President of Mauritania (2009–present)
13. President – Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda (2000–present)
14. President – Omar al-Bashir, President of Sudan (1989–present)
15. President – Yoweri Museveni, President of Uganda (1986–present)
16. President – Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe (1987–present)
17. President – Ali Bongo Ondimba, President of Gabon (2009–present)
18. Prime Minister – Hailemariam Desalegn, Prime Minister of Ethiopia (2012–present)
19. President – Jacob Zuma, President of South Africa (2009–present)
The time has come for the masses and the progressive intellectuals of Africa to rise up and take back our continent. Africa is not poor yet Africans are the poorest in the world. There is only one reason for any African to be poor! Bad Leadership!
Rise Up, Africans.
A fine requiem to the poorest hope;
You’r right brother Madi! Africa’s monumental problem is poor leadership steeped in greed and self-idolization. This in turn breeds poor governance and corrupt behaviour that is displayed all over the continent. Our problem is compounded by endless foreign interference, be it the Chinese, Americans, Belgians, British, French, Spanish or Portuguese. These countries profit by keeping Africa unstable and maintaining weak and poor leadership at the helm. I don’t know what the answer is, but it just might require an African movement from North to South and East to West to dislodge weak, selfish, bloated and self-perpetuating Presidents and send the signal that Africa is no longer there for the highest bidder.
Don’t forget the very people of Africa, we are the enablers. It’s very sad that Africa is the richest continent while the African people are the poorest in the world.
For example, Gambia made Yaya Jammeh into despotic tyrant and we are starting to allow the Barrow administration to take us for another wild ride into the realm of impunity.
The same people who aided Jammeh in his schemes are the same people running the government now, Barrow blatantly refused to hire s VP, victims of Jammeh,s tyranny are ignored and many more urgent matters are not given priority.
Very sad indeed, sometimes one tend to lose hope……
Don’t forget all the musicians that are coming out with songs in praise of President Barrow. And all the excuses made for the blatant disregard of the law.
Some people are already ascribing prophetic qualities to Mr Barrow.
Madi, I was having a fantastic day before reading your opinion. Just finished my 2 mile run, was having breakfast, turned on my laptop, logged on to jollofnews, and BAM! my entire day came crashing down, ruined with the truth of Africa’s self inflicted wounds, our dare and hopeless future. Allah help us. In your next piece can you tell us the way forward with AU.
God Bless The Gambia. God Bless Africa
The “story” of China’s involvement in Africa is not complete, brother Madi. It certainly is not balanced and I doubt if China is making $200 billion in Africa annually.
In February 2014, President Xi Jingping, whilst hosting President Macky Sall in Beijing, said that Chinese-African Trade surpassed $200 billion for the first time in 2013, making China Africa’s biggest trading partner. This is the volume of trade between China and Africa and not what China makes out of Africa. Could this be what you referred to?
Let’s get one thing right: The Chinese, like everyone else, are not in Africa for altruistic reasons. They are there to make money first, and gain influence afterwards, for their own global desires, but they are making real difference in those countries they are present, often, with less bureaucracy and zero interference in nation’s internal affairs. Our dependence on the Bretton Wood institutions, like the IMF, for development funds is also reduced by Chinese presence in Africa and thus creates an environment for competition, rather than the monopoly that these institutions used to enjoy.
And also important, but often ignored, is the much needed work ethics they bring into Africa. In my earlier days after leaving high school, I worked as a labourer at the China State Engineering and Construction Company in The Gambia. I actually worked in President Jawara’s new Office at State House during the construction period, which was done by the Chinese company.
Those Chinese foremen work like machines, very committed to what they did and were very, very humble. There was no noticeable hierarchy between those foremen. They were just workers with specialised skills. That’s something Africans need to learn.
I agree entirely that Africa needs to manage its own resources for the benefit of its people, but we need partnership with those who have the resources and technical know how to extract and make use of the resources, and China for me, is a good partner for Africa.
There was a recent documentary on the BBC about China in Africa. The Chinese workers were interviewed and asked for opinions. They work 7 days a week on poor wages and could not understand why Africans worked slowly and only 5 days a week with tea breaks and dinner breaks for even less wages,,, overseen by Unions. I guess that for Africans is a colonial heritage? But the productivity winners trophy goes to the Chinese everytime.
Indeed leadership had played it’s share in the unfair degeneration of the African continent advancements endeavours generally; the daily opinionated criticisms & the consequential advancements of technology currently, will facilitate the energetic endeavours to hold the leaderships to ongoing accounts…
The challenges for African advancements are mammoth gigantically that are faced by multifaceted barrages including foreign sabotages, espionage, political influences, supremacist voyeurisms, etc etc amongst others; the honest (in selfless integrity) reviews of state constitutions, geared towards (for) the communal COLLECTIVE advancements; as to OPPOSE to any clauses &/ manipulations insertion that will (in anyways) consolidate autocracy…
The Gambia, for example, is at transition (transformation) currently; my humble opinion (that), with our current criticisms continued relentlessly as the divergent mirror-views; (we in) Gambia can build on the experience of learning the curve in the drive-seat…
China might be (the) new-kid-on-the-block lately; BUT African Exploitation according to most records, began notably with the Arabian explorations; such as “trans-Saharan trade” & banditry in the event; then came the European gangsters’ & trans-Atlantic INHUMANITY (which took it to another levels) & the subsequent Colonisation; then the ” post/neo-colonial” political “freedom” remotely intercepted with all factors the external powers-be can utilize including some pretentious generosities, aid, loans, grants, etc, etc for maximal gains &/ returns…
The current African generations ourselves got to push the move for realistic change for better; otherwise most of the noise are players for limited motived gains as in contrast to genuine societal advancements enablement endeavours…
God bless Gambia…Ameen…
The INHUMANITY was in reference to both the “Saharan” & “Atlantic” banditry duped “trades”; & any colossal manipulative manoeuvres set at bay…
Bajaw>>.your wishes for concerns are always an inspiration; I thought with Jammeh gone, Gambia would be uplifted towards high levels of achievement and progress. Especially with all the international support on show. But the items on the agenda, were focussed on Jammeh’s assets his family and his support base in the Foni’s. The only argument at present is >> should the First Lady get an office and staff, and the unreliable figures in the Budget. I did say in January that it remained to be seen how the next raft of loans ,grants and donor support, would be used. After 6 months the position remains negative, with no sign of improvement for the citizen’s who took a leap of faith and put the coalition in charge.How do you feel about the situation just now ?
Mike, figures can’t be right when “75%” as alleged to be spending on the “politicians” which means only 25% on others…???
Now is time for readjustments necessary for cost-cutting economic inducements for regeneration…
I believe once we continue to criticise, in the current transitional progression, while we remain patient with time at least earmarked for transition, are the reasonable boundaries & realistic estimations ahead…
Most tend to forget, or yet ignore the fact that Gambia unlike mature democracies; is just at 6 months old infancy, faced by many factors including political infighting amongst the very coalition in charge of stirring the affairs of State…