Africa's Leadership Problems

I read Mr. Godsway Yaw Sappor's article published in GhanaWeb with great interest. It was entitled: The Failure Of African Leadership, Cause Of Africa's Problems

Africa has 10% of the world's oil and gas deposits, and according to Mr. Sappor, Africa also has 50% of the world's gold, most of the world's diamonds and chromium, 90% of the cobalt, 40% of the world's potential hydroelectric power, 65% of the manganese, millions of acres of untilled farmland, as well as other natural resources.

It's disappointing to note that in spite of Africa's natural wealth, it is home to the world's most impoverished and abused people.

Mr. Sappor, further observed that many African leaders are quick to blame Africa's continued struggles on the legacy of colonialism. Others accuse its neo-colonial dimension, and some others pose culture, climate and bio-geographic factors as the explanation to the reasons of Africa's myriad problems.

It is true that colonialism and Western imperialism did not leave, and has not left any African country in good shape, but Africa must look internally and stop blaming outside powers for their own internal failures and lack of leadership. In fact, many African leaders have treated their brothers and sisters a lot worse than the colonial masters, and many are playing into the hands of their current foreign masters.

I urge African leaders to look internally at the failures in the leadership they have offered Africans and stop blaming outsiders.