Africa has no resource curse! ⁰

African natural resources have, for decades, triggered huge armed conflicts, giving the impression that there is a massive resource curse on the richest continent in the world.

Many reports on Africa’s unfortunate situation, most of which are written by Westerners, usually avoid pointing out that the resource curse on African countries is fuelled by bad governance, foreign intervention and unpatriotic leadership.

Most of the fighting in Africa is a distraction designed by certain Western countries for them to exploit the continent’s resources without playing by the books.

African countries have been theaters of bloody fighting because of their natural wealth. Resource-rich African countries have spent most of the last century fending off jihadist and terrorist attacks, thereby perpetuating the notion that there is a resource curse on Africa.

No, there is no such curse. Greed and foreign interference are to blame for the armed conflicts which have become the continent’s hallmark.

African governments must take control of their mines to ensure that they do not fall into the hands of terrorists and other illegal miners. Illegal mines are important sources of revenue for terrorists and jihadists.

Securing every illegal mining site will rob the terrorists of the money they need to recruit young, innocent and naive fighters. If terrorism has to be rolled back in Africa, African countries must be intentional in fighting this scourge that is destroying the continent.

African governments must be strong, they must create jobs for their young people and they must be present in every part of their countries.

African countries must stop thinking that a country is safe if the political and economic capitals are safe. Terrorists and jihadists thrive where there is no state authority.

However, African governments must also put in place transparent systems for the management of the resources. Corruption at the highest level only renders a country vulnerable.

Corruption weakens the police; it demoralizes the military and drives the continent’s best and brightest to other parts of the world where they are underpaid and underemployed.

The continent’s decolonization also implies that leaders must be selfless and young people who are conscious and intellectually alert are given a chance to fully participate in their countries’ politics.

A country ruled by old people cannot be innovative. Such a country will stagnate. African youths must be part of their governments. Today’s youths are more informed, tech-savvy, confident and bold enough to help their countries to fly into a bright and beautiful future.

The imaginary resource curse on Africa can be deleted if African leaders rule their countries like real patriots. They must be models to the continent’s youths. Where there is good governance and responsible leadership, hope and peace prevail.

Where leaders prioritize their people’s well-being over their own personal and parochial interests, there is no room for coups d’états. Coups are today being viewed as consequences of maladministration and corruption on the part of civilian leaders who have driven their people to the abyss of poverty. Their presence on the continent today simply speaks to the failure of the pseudo-democracy imposed on Africa by the West.

Source: Dr Joachim Arrey