By:Kandjengo kaMkwaanyoka-

from Okwalondo with love
At one point I have called African intellectuals and leaders as economic and diplomatic cowards. Yes, many came for my head, saying how disrespectful the young man is, while some have agreed.
Well in this piece, and on this 60th anniversary of the African Union, I am going to scream and say it one more time that we are economic cowards for doing little to fulfil our forefathers’ wishes and continue to be at the mercy of other continents.
We keep blaming colonialism and continue to beg for everything we need and want from others, despite our massive fertile and green continent.
To remember this special day in Africa’s history, I have gathered my thoughts on what is preventing the continent from reaching its potential and being a global economic leader. Secondly, detail out the Africa I want and how we can achieve it.
The first factor preventing Africa from rising to the occasion (economically and leadership wise) is the continent’s leadership.
After independence, many African leaders turned into different leaders who lost their touch with the economic reality of their people, secondly, they lost the courage to fight and stand up for the continent.
Or perhaps one of my theories is that they lack capacity and vigour when it comes to the economic war given that the current structures of the current economies are quite different and challenging.
Yes, it is no longer about cattle heading and ploughing at the subsistence level; things got sophisticated and also require leadership with an understanding of what it takes to build a sophisticated economy.
Furthermore, the inability of African leaders to accept their weaknesses in economic and resource management and hire the right technocrats around them is costing Africa a great deal.
Africa’s leadership and the political system fail to have the right thinkers and technocrats because the approach is to have loyal people around them despite the empty heads or inability.
At the same time, the political system of the parties, recycles their team, just changing them from one ministerial post to the other until they can’t even walk.
This one is quite puzzling as it still continues across the continent. As a result, these leaders fail to steer the African economy to prosperity, as they lost steam furthermore they have become quite comfortable.
Another observation is that African leaders cannot be corrected by their opposition or their people, they will consider it as a political attack as a result they live in their bubble of them being right.
Furthermore, when their people stand up to question them or highlight their ineffectiveness in leadership they send their police force to dismantle/manhandle them .
This brings me to my next point that African leaders can’t be questioned anyhow, they do not take it well if it is a media house, they will discredit it and call it all sorts of names.
Media, activists, and all those with new ideas are considered enemies of the state in Africa even those with good intentions.
Another factor is an inadequate understanding of Africa’s riches and endowment- yes, this one is sensitive to many former liberation movements and their leadership.
I believe they are not aware of the continent’s resources (natural resources including human capital) value.
You cannot manage, and utilise fully what you do not know- this is why all the extraction in Africa is being done by foreign companies.
Moreover, all that is extracted is shipped out to be used by those who know its value.
Another reason/factor why Africa is struggling is that African leaders have no respect for research and academics- they plan with their emotions, and with their stomachs, they use political motives to allocate resources.
Data and research are crucial at the leadership level to make empirically guided decisions- that have a high probability of achieving the intended goal.
Policy effectiveness can only be achieved if data about the population and social dynamics are well-known and presented.
Another factor derailing Africa’s progress is the electorates/the masses- sometimes I get to think Africans are so used to pain that they think it is the normal way of living.
African electorates can be living in the harshest environment or poverty but convincing them to vote differently is impossible- they are stuck with their constituencies councillors and political parties that are worsening their living standards.
They will let corruption, resource squandering, and all the social evils prosper within their leaders, they will turn a blind eye and walk long distances to their water/electricity-less ghettos.
Another factor is the ineffective communication channels between entrepreneurs and policymakers.
These two are not talking as much as required, African leaders only open doors and lay red carpets for foreign investors, and act like gods to their African entrepreneurs.
Policymakers cannot create regulations, laws and policies that affect entrepreneurship, trade and investments without understanding the operating environment first.
Thus African leaders need to normalise consulting their people more often than they talk to the IMF, World Bank or the G7.
The last factor for now is that European, American or Asian’s ways or models aren’t always the best. Africans need to start using their brains and intellectuals for once to solve African economic issues.
Many African leaders look externally for solutions more often than is needed. Thus, Africa’s economic progress is determined externally.

THE AFRICA I NEED
The Africa I need is being held hostage by African leaders.
The Africa I need and want is in my head locked up because my leaders do not want to embrace me. Am the disruption they sent men uniform, I am the guy locked up in prison for demanding more.
The Africa I want is shy to come out because the current African leaders will squash the living soul out of her/him. I am the thinker, the disrupter, and the youth that they keep at bay when they are discussing African matters.
The Africa I need and crave for, is locked away by the electorates who can’t stand changes and new leadership- they have normalised, pain, war, and death on the Mediterranean Sea.
The electorates have normalised party colours and slogans, not Africa, all they do is wish and pray for miracles rather than innovating and demanding for the platform to add value.
The Africa I need is within the rooted African youths and leaders who will build a nuclear plant without approval from the so-called superpowers.
They will prioritise agriculture and utilise the fertile soil of the motherland to reduce dependence on external markets for food.
The Africa I need won’t get free guns to kill themselves, nor will she be divided by religion.
The Africa I aspire to build and have will not be so intimidated by my youth and my aspiration to own the mining and the fishing rights of my resources.
However, I foresee issues persisting and we celebrate African Day with no significant improvement in the lives of Africans for more years.
I foresee Africa will continue to be tossed around like a coin, and be asked to choose between the western agenda, eastern and all other blocks who have figured out what they want.
The Africa I aspire to live in and contribute to needs to get rid of its ageing leaders, unite toward a common economic goal by embracing its youth bulge.
As for those that are in power for now, it is not too late for you to reflect, listen to the continent more than you listen elsewhere, so you can unite Africa and steer the continent to prosperity.