As a result of the economic misorientation in Africa, the rich continue to be rich and the poor continue to be poor. More apparently, is that the welfare of the people is imbued in the Western system of government while in most African countries the welfare of the people matter only when politicians are seeking for power rather than empowerment of the people. Hence in most cases, the country is richer than the people. The richness of the countries is best reflected in the lifestyles of the ruling class.
The masses of the African people continue to wallow in poverty and hunger. In such a situation, the continent is always faced with civil conflicts, political instability, economic stagnation and military interventions in governance. The adoption of recommended policies from developed countries without matching these to the realities on the ground in the African economic environment becomes a dilemma and recipe for chaos. It can neither be just nor can it last.
It must be stated that Africa is not poor, it is the mismanagement of African resources that makes Africa largely poor. The resource endowment of the continent when set against its endemic poverty becomes unacceptable to bear and a sign of recklessness to the core. Everywhere the people are complaining of the high cost of living and unsustainable livelihoods.
The governance environment continues to emphasize liberal economic policies at the expense of the welfare of the people. It is difficult to attain sustainable development under such circumstances. A new framework for accelerated socioeconomic development is of utmost necessity to advance African economies into the 21st century.
This can only happen with a home grown intellectual and professional approach to development with a strong political will to move the country forward. In the new approach to African development, there is a need for reorientation in the education system.
For students to graduate from secondary school and university without skills are big losses to the economy. Let us look at an educated and skillful country like Germany. It is a developed economy because of its educational orientation.
Despite their large populations, India and China are able to feed themselves because of their educational and economic orientation. As of 2020, there is no poverty in China.
These countries have achieved amazing development records not necessarily based on liberal economic models but focuses on national priority considerations. A new approach to African development is the logical answer to the uplift of the continent and its people from poverty to prosperity.
