The untold ‘picture’ of Africa

The Untold “Picture” of Africa Yes! Truth must be told. Africa as a continent, has its defects, has its own weaknesses and an ugly side in the subject of development. Citizens of Africa wallowing in naked poverty to an extent that some can't meet the three square meal per day, problems in education - accessibility and quality target still hasn't been met. Healthcare systems are

unappealing. Our susceptibility to terrorists attack is high and strong. Unemployment is real. Infrastructural deficits across the whole continent. The last time I checked, the total GDP of Africa as a continent ($2.19trillion as in 2017) could not equal the combined profit of 10 most performing companies in the world like Saudi Aramco – $110.9 billion, Apple – $59.5 billion, Amazon, etc and this rings a bell of how seriously Africa as a continent, lurks behind deep low on the development pyramid.

These and other facts available, in my view, point to the direction of two main causes: First, the inability of Africa as a continent to tap into our human resources and cause a major transformation. Our traditional education system which places much focus and priority on grammar and secretarial knowledge, to me, has failed massively to develop the human resources that can boast of industrial prowess.

I was reliably educated, by not a person less than the deputy
education minister, Hon Osei Yaw Adutwum in his speech in Kenya that elsewhere in the western countries, America for example, starts teaching aeronautical sciences to their children at as lower classes as KG.

In so doing, by the time that child gets to JHS or SHS, he has got some basic knowledge about aircraft and flight related issues and when, by grace, he moves to tertiary, the rest becomes history. Somewhere in Mama Africa, a student in SHS is afraid of a computer mouse. That’s the disservice our education system has bestowed on us.

The second cause is the failure of the continent to take advantage of
our natural resources. This needs no much explanation. Africa has gold, yet order jewelry from the west. We have timber yet order furniture from the whiteman’s land. My female friend who recently returned from Saudi told me that there’s nothing like rain in Saudi and that they don’t do farming but their only source of wealth as a country is oil. I was
reluctant and astonished to believe because it was too sweet to hear.

One natural resource? Yes Oil. I don’t want to waste your time comparing Ghana or any African country to Saudi. It will also sound like a LIE to hear that Ghana was richer than South Korea as at when they gained independence in 1960. Dear reader, the list doesn’t exhaust here but time.

However, the coin will never always has one side. As our critiques always find enough time to project the bad and ugly picture of “continente de African” in order to benefit their exponential growing appetite for neocolonialism, they should also pause for, at least, just a minute to project our good picture in equal measure.

They should stop seeing only the evil in Mama Africa because they’ve ever been where we are.
Ghana is one of the countries with a promising democracy. Is there any iota of doubt that democracy is one of the pillars of development. One would argue that Syria and Iran are war-torn countries yet are developed.

Democracy doesn’t necessarily mean the absence of war but the practice of the rule of law. Ghana might be lurking in physical infrastructure and other systems, the presence of democracy means there’s hope of progress because democracy is the skeleton around which flesh of development is built. that’s a plus to Ghana and must be projected.

Rwanda is trying her utmost best in almost all sectors of the economy:

HEALTH: 90.6% of the population is enrolled in Rwanda’s national health program. Due to greater access to health services there has been a decline in death from diseases like malaria, which saw an 85.3% drop between 2005 and 2011.

ECONOMY: Rwanda has made significant progress in restoring the economy to pre-1994 levels with an average annual GDP growth rate of 7%-8% since 2003.

WOMEN AND POLITICS: Women hold 64% of seats in Rwanda’s parliament, which is more than any other country in the world. The female majority has ensured that laws aimed at raising the status of women are at the forefront of political discourse.

EDUCATION: With 61% of the population being under the age of 24 the Rwandan government has made education a top priority. The government spends 17% of it’s budget on education and has made primary and secondary school compulsory for both boys and girls.

JUSTICE: The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) was the first international tribunal in history to deliver verdicts against persons responsible for committing genocide. The ICTR was also the first institution to recognize rape as a means of perpetrating genocide. During the ICTR 93 individuals were indicted and 61 were sentenced.
Not only the above achieved by Rwanda, the country has also, in the past few years, seen some massive infrastructural facelift which
the pictures below testify.

The list of positive strives of Africa are endless but while NOT trying to console ourselves, we must not also forget that China didn’t become biggest economy on the silver platter. America didn’t become the most powerful state overnight, Germany didn’t wake up and started producing cars. Russia didn’t become a technology hub by a commanding word. The word “great” was not added to Britain by a spoken word or a magic wand. I repeat, they all didn’t achieve it on a silver platter. It all started with change of mindset and Will power. Selflessness, zeal, passion to do for country, Self discipline, hardwork and determination concluded their success story to get them here today.

Development is a gradual and steady
process meaning with time, positive virtues and taking advantage of the benefits the “information age” has offered us, nothing fades my optimism that Africa shall get there.