Addressing Africa’s development challenges

The long waited African Union Summit is finally here with us this coming week. More than three thousand dignitaries from the continent and beyond will converge to discuss the future of Africa, a continent with vast and unexploited opportunities and resources. Interestingly, the 27th AU summit is hosted in a country which I believe, has a basket full of lessons that would be shared with the rest of Africa. The continent’s struggles to overcome some of its persistent development challenges despite being set free from the shackles of colonialism several decades ago, mirror the Rwandan scenario before the country’s historic liberation in 1994. Political instability, civil unrest, snail-pace economic growth and income inequality are some of the impediments Africa need to shade off just like Rwanda did. First and foremost, success in achieving economic growth with increased productivity, employment, and poverty reduction, is built on sound domestic economic policies. The major undoing for most African countries is to mimic western world rather than develop meaningful principles that fit within the continent or country’s specific context. For instance, a number of scholars have argued that efforts to build democracy in Africa have not paid enough attention to the local political settlement. Institutions have therefore been built on top of, rather than in line with, power dynamics and incentive structures. At best, such institutions are ineffective and do not alter underlying logic that govern social, political and economic relations. At worst, they exacerbate logic, with seemingly democratic processes “helping to burnish the specious reformist credentials of entrenched strongmen”. If this is addressed, then the next step would be inculcating good governance. Many reports have attributed good governance as one of the driving forces behind Rwanda’s impressive economic performance. African nations should also invest significant amount of time in ensuring effective oversight of their operations and advocate for accountable governance across sectors. For many years, corruption has been listed as one of the ailments which has denied many African countries opportunity to advance, Rwandan leadership has always stressed on managerial discipline in public sectors, cracked down on corruption and emphasized maintaining competence of the civil service from central to local government. The quality of a nation’s manpower resources is the single most important factor determining national competitiveness. It is the people’s innovativeness, entrepreneurship, team work, and their work ethic that gives them that sharp keen edge in competitiveness. Rwanda empowers this group of talented individuals to bring new products and services to the market which finally enrich the lives of the entire population. Every African country needs to involve those with good minds to be scholars, innovators, venture capitalists, and entrepreneurs without fear or favour. Rwanda has the most affordable internet in the region and has turned this into a growth engine-the country is becoming an IT hub. Technology helps to bridge the gap between the global and local environment. Being able to obtain information from the outside ultimately aids in the improvement of the plight of the people. Embracing technology, among other advantages, brings efficiency of operations in all sectors of economy. Africa must also prioritize infrastructure investments that will boost productivity, support business growth, create jobs, provide a healthier environment, and improve opportunities for all citizens. Investment in transportation, public buildings, and other forms of vital infrastructure has been a key to creating good jobs and promoting full economic recovery in Rwanda. Looking at Rwanda before 1994 and now tells how the country has put effort in improving its infrastructure. Notably, the condition of roads, bridges, schools, water treatment plants, and other physical assets have greatly influenced the country’s rapid growth and development. Besides Rwanda being one of the easiest places to start and run business, the country offers various corporate subsidies for domestic and international investors. This conducive business environment has always been cited as one of the factors contributing to Rwanda’s fast growing economy. It is in the same way that African countries need to learn from this and open their borders to allow easy access to markets for all to trade goods, services, work and information within the continent. On another note, the private sector is one major partner of development cooperation. Private sector creates jobs, build infrastructure and contribute to poverty reduction in a huge way. Their involvement plays a major role in realising a country’s economic development. Private sector and the government institutions working together in addressing cross cutting issues is one best practice that can as well be learned from Rwanda. In a nutshell, Africa must create the conditions to define its own growth path, based on the continent’s history, culture and institutions. Various models for structural transformation need to be adapted to the continent’s unique circumstances and the conditions in subsets of African countries. Just like Rwanda, African leaders must also remain pragmatic and develop their own home-grown solutions. They should respond and adapt their modus operandi to changing conditions of Africa. oscar_kimanuka@yahoo.co.uk

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Addressing Africa’s development challenges