Africa Cannot be Secure and Peaceful Till She Eradicates Poverty: And this is How.

Africa Cannot be Secure and Peaceful Till She Eradicates Poverty: And this is How.

By Umar Ardo, Ph.D

Currently, virtually all African countries are in hunger and poverty and under challenges of peace and security. With respects, peace and security in Africa can only comeby if Africa takes her rightful stance in the global power structure, even against her disproportionate weak position in the evolution of this structure. And this will only happen if African leaders truly put the interest of Africa and African peoples the primary reason and base of their leadership, strive to conquer hunger and poverty, and make it the foundation of Africa’s relationship with herself and the international community. Even against the weak backdrop of her historical base, Africa can today leverage on two factors to her advantage in playing her card in the world power equation – i.e. her huge population and her abundant natural resources, both of which are instrumental in the evolution, development and sustenance of the extant world economic order. This therefore puts Africa in a strategic position to step onto the world scene as a strong contender and reliable development partner. 

Taking a cue from China, Africa can develop her economy and lift almost her entire population out of poverty. How did China in a spate of about 50 years lift over 800 million of her citizens out of poverty and become a key factor in world economic, scientific, military, etc. balance of power? 

Looking back at China’s national policies over the years, beginning from the cultural revolution towards self-reliance, it can clearly be seen how they largely leveraged on their huge population to create the key indices for their development – i.e. turning their large populace into “enterprising self-entrepreneurs”, so to speak – their educated youths into skilled pools of teachers, administrators, educationists, economists, scientists, engineers, architects, accountants, agriculturalists, doctors, ITCs, researchers, intellectuals, business managers, lawyers, labourers, etc., generally making the mass of their population acquire knowledge, technology, skills, experience, innovation and patriotism. They then turned again to their huge population for the needed massive labour and workforce in production, agriculture, infrastructure, factories, sports, athletics, etc. further turning mass populations into large markets of producers, consumers and service providers. Thus, the necessary economic environment to pull mass populations out of poverty had been created; stimulating further economic activities and creativities in the skills and talents that abound in their large populace. 

If Africa can replicate this then she even has an additional advantage of having more abundant natural resources and raw materials than China to leverage on. She can therefore robustly create the necessary economic environment that will quickly pull mass people out of poverty in even a shorter period of time. The only major impediment against Africa is her several sovereignties against China’s single sovereignty. It means therefore that Africa must unite on this common purpose. 

But this is by no means going to be an easy task as African elites seem indulged in their slices of colonial partition. The ruling classes would rather be a whole onto themselves in their various tiny enclaves than be a part of a bigger whole for all. Thus, since Africa so far fails in creating this vital unity she will continue to remain poor, weak and susceptible to foreign interference, manipulation and dictation. 

But even at that Nigeria  as a single sovereign, with her climate, vegetation, huge population, talents and natural resources, can pull through this obstacle and attain the development measure, maybe not on the scale of China but on a scale that will earn Nigeria and the Black race respect, admiration and support, breaking barriers to further accelerate the unity and growth of Africa. All Nigeria needs is to put in the requisite leadership into power to get the job done. 

And by all standards,  we have in every part of the country, not least in the North, men and women with the requisite knowledge , character, outlook, intelligence, skills, competence, exposure, experience, connections, goodwill and patriotism to provide the required leadership to pull us through. The questions are: Would we be willing and able to make the necessary sacrifices towards finding and prodding such people into power? And if we would, how would we succeed in attaining the goal? 

For me, without simplifying a complex task, I will say once the first is in the affirmative then the second is half done; the other half will be made full by the right strategy, by robust implementation, by all ‘things being equal’ and by the Grace of God Almighty – i.e. we will succeed to the point of installing our people to power. 

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Afterwards, the ultimate success will then be assured by their disposition, attitude and behaviour in power. Once the leadership remains focused on the purpose of forming government in the first place, and have not become arrogant and conceited, the objective will of no doubt succeed and society ultimately becomes better off. This is a huge task, a renaissance of a sort; but with clarity of vision, commitment to the mission and determination to succeed, the goal is definitely achievable in a lifetime.