Why Africa is still a sleeping Giant

Africa has been long known as the sleeping giant that has the potential to grow and be a force to reckon with in the global market, but up to today the giant is still deep in its slumber. Signs of waking up are there but only coming from a few body parts which have failed to go to rest with the sleeping giant. At the current moment Africa has about 15 countries which have the status of “emerging economies” commanding over $50 billion worth of Gross Domestic Product. Powerful markets like America, China and others have GDP’s of over a trillion dollars, which is far off Africa’s GDP combined. Those countries might be well developed and advanced but have got certain mindsets or ways that brought them to this stage. Africa can tap into some of those ideas and make them her own. Once it idolises such mindset this continent can grow and develop into a powerful economic powerhouse. Our mindset as a continent should change.

The continent is rich in natural resources giving it an edge if such resources are used in an efficient economic manner. However that is not the case with our beloved continent. Greed has torn apart most countries as the elite have taken up the resources for their own benefits and a few chosen ones at the expense of the greater population. This has in turn led to war for equitable resource distribution and marginalisation of the poor. Exploitation of resources continues to take place despite African countries being totally independent from colonial rule. Wherever there are vast resources in Africa, conflict is abound. Countries like DRC, Nigeria Sudan, Libya and others have been afflicted with incessant strife due to their resources which always attract conflict. Foreign countries have been directly and indirectly involved in these resource based conflicts, with a view of benefiting these materials at cheaper prices for their own countries development whilst leaving nothing for the local inhabitants. China of late has been fingered in the supply of fire arms to South Sudan as a safe guard to the oil that they are exploiting in that particular country. They are not the only ones involved in Africa,  countries like America, France, England and others also involved in the exploitation of African resources and most often disguise as sheep yet they are wolves.

African governments have mortgaged their own  resources for loan deals with major global institutions and other companies at expensive rates placing their nations at a huge risk.  Most of these dealings come with huge costs and   provide less benefit to the locals of such nations. The question to be postulated is whether African leaders are failing their nations in management of resources and providing a clear path to economic prosperity. . The saying “Power Corrupts” must have been invented in Africa after one experienced the alarming levels of corruption among its leaders and governments. Corruption has grown to be cancerous in Africa as with everyone who gets power wanting to accumulate wealth as an incentive. Daily media reports of corruption emanate from each and every country in Africa and it is a concern that this cancer of corruption is becoming institutionalized. Zimbabwe has seen its development stalled by corruption as every investor who wants to set foot in the country has to pay a bribe for his deal to be facilitated.  There are reports that bribery demands which run into millions of dollars are being made by the ministers. Most companies have highlighted the issue of bribery in Africa with the founder of Econet Wireless noting that  a certain African country demanded that his company pay millions to a minister for his tender to be accepted, a request he vehemently denied. This in itself shows how dirty dealings in Africa have grown to appalling degrees. Corruption is not only detrimental to the attraction of investment since the cost and risk of doing business in a highly corrupt country are high but can also disturb the environment of efficient business operations.

The mindset placed in most of our African systems is to look at ourselves as servants. It is more like we are cursed like the biblical children of Ham who were to be servants of servants and never to be the rulers. Growing up, every educational institution I have attended taught us to write job application letters and never to draft any business proposals or taught how to run businesses. This incessant emphasis on writing job application letters made us believe were born to work for someone else and never to run or own a business. That mindset is wrong and scuttles development within an individual and the society at large as it inhibits growth and innovation. Now is the time for us to rise and teach kids from an early age on issues to do with good business ethics, allow innovation and promote it amongst ourselves. We tend not to support anything that is developed by an African as we feel that we are not good enough but if it is American or European made Africans are the first to howl in celebration. We forget that everything that is perfect today went through many stages of imperfection. It is a case that the so called innovative countries supported each other and had faith in their actions to build the iconic brands we see in the world today. This is a quality which Africa lacks.

Africa seems to focus its attention on small things whilst the major battles facing the continent and its nations are ignored or swept under the rug. Our leaders like majoring in the minor so as to cover up  the big economic questions  which are always lingering on everyone’s mind probably due to the fact that they seem to have no clue on such problems . Southern Africa knew and was advised well back and in ample time that a shortage in Electricity was to be felt due to a growing population and high industrial capacity. Most Southern African governments came up with plans to avert the crisis that was going to impact negatively on industrial growth and development. We are now in 2014  and countries like Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique are suffering from acute power supply shortage which is has and continues to cripple  production in some of their industrial hubs. The crisis was foreseen long back but nothing was done. The only action undertaken at that time was to draft ambitious documents and plans which never materialised but have only served the purpose of occupying library shelves. . Action needs to be taken when such matters arise. For sustainable African economic growth, the future should always be taken into and prioritised. Governments must be flexible in their operations and shun rigidity in execution of their duties as this has made us fall way behind other economies.  We are slow to adapt to change and at times we don’t even adapt to change. Decision making is so bad that most agreements take years to be approved and if approved new challenges surface further elongating the process. A classic example is that of the Essar Zisco steel deal in Zimbabwe which has been dragging for years with analysts highlighting that the country has lost billions of dollars due to the dragging of the deal.

We need to act now as a continent and fight for economic development, eradication of poverty and the end to conflict. We must have love for one another as a people of the same continent but most of all we must have love for Africa.  More things can be said or thrown around as to why our continent is still deep in its slumber but  one thing and that alone has to be changed in African people, that is “our MINDSET”. Wake up Africa       .