The word leadership loses its meaning in many African countries. It does not mean men and women of great mission and vision to elevate the status and conditions of their people. It is a criminal enterprise involving men and women in pursuit of their own self-interest to the detriment of the populace of their countries. The mindset is to get all one can get while there is something to get.
A true leader has a vision for the country, and works to inspire and motivate the citizens of the country to affect change for better social, economic, political, psychological, and spiritual well-being of all. All the great leaders in history have had one characteristic in common: the willingness to confront unequivocally the major anxiety of their people in their time. This, and not much else, is the essence of leadership. Paraphrasing Stephen Covey, leadership is not position, but moral authority, which comes from following universal and timeless principles like honesty, integrity, and treating people with respect.
The European countries that colonized Africa did not intend for the newly independent countries to have true leadership, only stooges to maintain their interests in the post-colonial era. Consequently, the erstwhile colonizers continue to get what they want from African countries, and their heartless stooges are allowed to get filthy rich at the expense of the masses they are supposed to be working for.
You see, the European countries, in the scramble for Africa after the Berlin Conference held from November 15, 1884 to February 26, 1885, created countries devoid of economic independence purposely to ensure future political instability and underdevelopment. A meticulous examination of most African countries shows that many of them are amalgamations of multiple countries in one country. That is not an arrangement or a prescription for political stability and progress. Look at the former Yugoslavia after Comrade Marshall Tito: it broke into 7 independent countries, namely: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia (now North Macedonia), Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia, and Kosovo. But the former colonizers of African countries will not allow them to break up into the different countries they should have been, because doing so would not be in their best interest.
Africa and African countries must be put in their place as sources of feedstock for the manufacture of goods by European and North American multinational corporations in Africa, Europe, and North America. It would be counterproductive for Africa and African countries to develop indigenous technological capability to transform their own vast and varied raw material resources into expensive manufactured products for the international market. Maintaining the current bifurcated division of specialization in the globalized economy ensures that Africa and African countries continue to sell their enormously profuse and diverse raw materials cheap and buy products manufactured with them dear – a prescription for perpetual budget deficit. From colonialism characterized by the control of colonies with state apparatus, to globalization – the modern control tool of neocolonialism intended to keep Africa and African countries in their place. And the beat goes on!
Prof. Akubue, St. Cloud, MN Thursday, August 7, 2025
