Letter from Kenya:My words with Francis Mwongela

Writer Francis Mwongela

Leave the West Alone,Africa you caused your own troubles

Poverty in Africa is basically rural. Majority of the Africans living below the poverty line are peasant farmers with poor methods agricultural and industrial production and most of them are illiterate or semi illiterate. The vicious cycle of poverty due to poor wages, leading to low savings hence neither investments nor capital accumulation is likely to take some good amount of time. This leads to industrial unrests, go slows and strikes. All these are lethal to slugging African economies.

Africans are doing too little in my opinion to stump this disease out. They will always remain aloof blaming the colonialists for these problems. Yes they have the right to do so; but up to when are they going to remain aloof and just blaming the past?

International monetary bodies like IMF and World Bank are not an appropriate solution to Africa’s poverty question.  They cannot be the solution because they are not the cause. Superpowers and developed countries are not likely to e the solution either. They have not caused poverty in Africa.

Africans are the cause of their own troubles. If asked I would reiterate that it is the African voter who votes in a corrupt leader. This leader comes in and loots their resources. He invites the west to come and help in the international corrupt cartels to exploit Africa for kickbacks.

The governance of Africa has put and laid little or no emphasis on poverty eradication. No countries in Africa can chest-thump that it is seriously fighting poverty. With the huge resources that Africa is endowed with including human resource, is an enough machine to drive Africa to an economic giant. If anything is to go by, an African is just limited by his own cause to move forward.

The structural adjustment programmes that were introduced in Africa by the West in the 1990s caused more trouble and misery in Africa than ever before. I wonder why an aloof government could ever accept that.

Security is paramount for development in any society. Which African country is secure? If it is not tribal clashes, it is copu de tat or some gangs like boko haram, al shabaab name them. Which investor will risk such a nation and inject his capital for wealth creation, employment and such?

Africa being the worst affected by HIV/AIDS is another problem leading to massive poverty. Who brings such to an African? Is it still the west or your government? The huge resources channeled to combat this in Africa; the millions left orphans, widows and widowers is a silly mistake that humanity makes. Morality is the only solution to this debacle.

Conduit governments made up of insensitive and gullible leaders is a reflection of the voters in Africa. Corruption is at levels you cannot imagine because everybody is such. Still I beg to differ that it is the West that are going to solve this. How many times have you paid for services you are not supposed to pay for? Then what moral authority do you have to blame a cabinet minister who receives a kick back from a Chinese farm and awards them a lucrative contract? The high presence of Chinese in Africa is questionable.

Massive unemployment speaks loud about our commerce and agriculture. We still own and cherish our poor methods of agricultural production and believe that modernizing agriculture will rid has off jobs. I would say that is archaic reasoning.

The solution to African poverty is Africans. An individual has got to stand up and make decisions to vote in a leader who has the correct reason and morality. An individual has to send his own kids to school and ensure they get good education. One has to work towards personal development. The governments have to protect their people and ensure social amenities are affordable to the common African man and woman. The solution to African problems is basically moral and not political rhetoric. That is the only way to develop Africa.