Africa is one of the continents endowed with many resources, both human and natural resources. It can boast of variety of natural resources like Bauxite, Gold, Manganese, Diamond, Salt and forest reserves rich with variety of animals and trees.
The human resources on the hand are very industrious and resolute towards the achievement of a common goal. All these are good avenues that can be exploited to bring about massive economic development and the improvement on living conditions of all Africans.
Inspite of all these endowments, Africa is plaqued with poverty and under-development. What’s more, its human resources are struck with deplorable living conditions with most battling with how to procure a three-squared meal for themselves and family everyday.
The stench of these deplorable living conditions extends to the children, who in one way or the other have little or no education at all. What’s the future of a continent whose future leaders have inadequate or no education at all? The big and unanswered question shrouded in mystery is, why is Africa still poor and under developed despite it’s endowment in both natural and human resources? Its obvious that these problems stem from acute irresponsibility of the leaders and the lack of unity among Africans in planning towards a developmental goal.
First of all, our leaders come as ‘wolves in sheep clothe’. They disguise themselves as faithful people in the pursuit of power and convince civilians with great promises that are never met. They turn their backs on those who make them leaders.
Money meant for development that will go a long way to improve upon the living conditions of the people are squandered and used to make their life luxurious at the expense of the people. Money supposed to be used for the provision of social amenities like roads, boreholes, electricity among others are rather used to buy mansions and luxurious cars. This is obviously the cause of Africa’s poverty.
Is Africa beyond aid? Perhaps not. The possibility of a change or a turnaround will greatly hinge on the attitudes of its people, both leaders and civilians. African leaders need to unite, plan and implement policies and developmental projects that should cut across the various sectors such as education, health, businesses and trades, especially small scale enterprises (SMEs). In Education, there’s a need for the establishment of school buildings especially in the deprived areas, the provision of teaching and learning materials in the schools to make learning more practical based.
The practicality of the lesson makes learned behaviours in each discipline become part of them. For instance, practicalising of lessons involving discipline and leadership qualities such as sincerity, hardwork , diligence ,sacrifice among others will not merely be studied or memorized but would become part of their lives which will be exhibited when they also become leaders in future.
By so doing, children of today will grow up having these leadership qualities in them and would take the place of the self- interest seeking ones we have today. Practicalising of the lessons can be done through role plays,simulation and dramatization. Emphasis should also be placed on training of quality teachers who are able to integrate teaching and learning with these leadership qualities.By so doing, we can sit back and trust that our children are in safe hands and are being tailored into patriotic citizens and visionary leaders respectively.
In the aspect of health, hospitals and clinics need to be built in both rural and urban areas and stocked with modern day technological machines and devices which will enable patients to be diagnosed and treated easily and faster. Also, the government should help in subsidising hospital bills for citizens who have lower incomes. Health care providers such as the nurses and doctors should be properly trained to have the requisite skills needed to treat varied diseases and infections.
The training should involve how to use the technological machines so that they can be proficient in their use before enrolled to the field of work.Also, ambulances should be made available to convey patients during emergency. The aspect of business and trade can be synchronized with the establishment of industries that can process our raw materials into marketable finished goods.
goods can be sold and bought among the people as a way of creating jobs for them.This means that Africans should patronize their own goods and desist from the importation of goods from foreign countries which could be manufactured here in Africa. Jobs created by the sale of our own manufactured products tends to improve upon the living conditions of the people which will eventually alleviate poverty since vendors make some income out of it. However,value added products that can compete in the world market can be exported to foreign countries to fetch some revenue to the various economies in Africa.
Revenues generated through this trade can be used to establish schools to improve upon literacy and education, hospitals to secure the health status of the people, roads to facilitate the to and fro of goods and services and provision of basic social amenities like running water and electricity in the localities. The setting up of microfinances could also go a long way to boost Small Scale Enterprises(SMEs) as it offers them savings and loans packages. The savings package helps to save a portion of profits made to be used in the future. Also, loan packages with moderate interest rates can be obtained to expand their businesses.
The gateway for these plans and policies is unity. African leaders and dignitaries need to unite through the common African international bodies like the African Union( AU ) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
These are bodies whose aims are to ensure solidarity and peace between the African States.They also fight towards a common developmental goal for all its member states. Since A.U brings together about 55 leaders of the various member states, it could serve as a good platform for the proper planning of these developmental goals and projects which all leaders representing their various countries will implement accordingly in their individual countries.
The leaders should come to a unanimous decision to understand leadership as a call to service by taking up the burdens of their followers in ensuring their security,health and well-being, education, access to amenities like water and light(electricity) and a lasting job for income that will help them survive but not seeing it as an opportunity to amass wealth, build mansions unnecessarily, buy very expensive cars, send their wards to foreign countries for the so called ‘better education’ and see their own people wallow in poverty and anguish.
If they had channeled funds meant for development to establish quality schools and enroll quality teachers, would there be any need to send their wards abroad to be educated? If there were well equipped hospitals with quality health care providers who are abreast with the use of modern day technological machines and devices in treating varied diseases and infection, would there be any need to fly abroad and spend huge sums of money for treatment? The leaders should learn how use the state’s money for its right purpose. Salaries and allowances paid to government officials shouldn’t be too extravagant to cripple or empty the economic coffers.
Africa can become great. What is lacking is the right attitudes towards our fellow Africans. Our leaders should be faithful towards the citizens and honest in executing their responsibilities. Followers should in return be hardworking and not depend solely on government. They should endeavor to learn varied ways of acquiring income through creativity in craftsmanship and whatever talents and abilities they have. They should have the spirit of patriotism and protect state properties in their possible ways. When all these are put in place, Africa would gradually be experiencing transformations until we get to the peak. AFRICA UNITE. IMPOSSIBLE IS NOTHING!!!