The Renaissance of Africa!

Africans have come of age in so many ways over the last several years but the continent is still plagued by so many problems including conflicts, poverty, disease and corruption. Very often, some including Africans put the blame on others especially on Westerners. Is such finger-pointing justified? I do not think so. In my opinion, playing the blame game has been an excuse used by Africans to shy away from their responsibility in nation building. It is very common to find fellow countrymen at the throats of each other over mean issues triggered by tribalism or regionalism instead of focusing on fundamental issues of development.

There are several areas that need to be addressed if the future of Africa has to be better than today. It is apparent that if Africans continue to perceive life as they do at the present time, then nations will only retrograde instead of progress. Africans need to seek true independence in several areas including education, justice, health care and governance.

Education is the principal cornerstone of nation building. Many Africans have received high honours in education but have used these qualifications to serve their nations and the continent as a whole, wrongly. The education we receive be it at home or abroad should serve as a tool for building our nations. One thing that has to be clear is the fact that, we need to distinguish and adopt only educational policies that are suitable for our systems. This means that, we need to find ways of knowing our own environment rather than focusing on the environmental science of foreign nations. Knowing our environment will enable us to adopt best practices required for waste disposal, roads and home construction, building of bridges and dams and choosing sites for other construction projects. The principles of various subjects have been well established and we simply need to adopt those that will enable us derive the most beneficial results for our environment.

Most Africans are guilty to have taken part in activities that led to retrogression of their nations. As part of human nature, many have preferred to continue in this mess in order to avoid the shame of accepting mistakes have been made. Why should we shy away from correction? It is never too late to embrace what is right and our leaders must turn from the current ways that seek to maintain the status quo of self-aggrandisement and accrual of personal wealth at the detriment of the nation, to meaningful leadership aimed at transformation nations to competitors that will be considered as partners in other continents. It is appalling to know that for example, in the World Trade Organization, nations from other continents dictate the cost of raw materials from our continent when they have no such resources simply because our frail economies have left us with no bargaining power. It is difficult to believe that even after solar energy has been shown to be a viable source of power generation; Africa cannot seize the opportunity to champion research in this area whereas there is abundant sunlight available to its nations throughout the year. Such reluctance has been the characteristic of most Africans and their nations that have always waited for others to think and bring finished products for them to consume. It is time for us to get out of this slumber and take control of our future. There has been a lot of debate on future sources of energy but hardly have we heard of any statement on the future of energy from any African nation. As usual, we await new developments from other nations when cost of consumption will be dictated to us. For example, if an alternative to petroleum resources is quickly found in other nations, most of our petroleum will become useless because cars and other equipment will no longer be produced to use petroleum. Fortunately, it is not very easy for such a transformation to take place but I think it is time for us to start looking at the future and prepare ourselves.

Justice is crucial for societal development and even though it hardly exist anywhere around the world, two key areas including an independent judiciary and true freedom of expression including the press is very important. An independent judiciary is useful in order to check excesses of those in office in government and the private sector alike. When this exists, our leaders will learn to respect the constitution of nations and learn to relinquish power after their mandate. Current leaders need to realize that they are dealing with fellow humans and even more so, their fellow citizens. True freedom of expression and of the press is very important in order to allow those who continue to take our societies backwards to be exposed and eventually handed over to justice. These moves require courage and it is time to move forward.

It is shocking to know that some people especially our leaders prefer to fly to institutions abroad for healthcare while a major portion of the citizens lack the basics for common ailments. Is this helpful in building a nation? Of course, Not! The pharmaceutical industry relies on plants for which there is an abundance of in African Countries. The case of malaria has been lying around for decades without a solution. Is this because African medical experts cannot tackle this? Of course, not! It is simply our attitude of always waiting for “manners to come from heaven” instead of seeking to transform our nations to “heaven”. Once again, it is time for action and while many especially intellectuals have been willing to make useful contributions, fear of retribution and obstacles imposed by despotic regimes have been major stumbling blocks. It is time for our leaders to have a change of heart and support the efforts of all willing to contribute to nation building.

It is time for Africans to seek to transform their mentality of “wait and consume” to that of action for the building of their nations. African nations have been characterized throughout history to be rich in both human and natural resources. What has left the continent where it is has simply been that of mismanagement of these human and natural resources. Let us start using what we have to get what we want. It is time for a transformation! Such meaningful transformation will be characterized by our children as the “Renaissance of Africa”. To demonstrate your willingness to be part of the renaissance, do not look at the flaws of this article or point fingers at anyone, but simply forward your suggestions on how any area of your interest can be improved in any nation in Africa or across the continent.