Decision time for African states

In a climate of political uncertainty with the US Presidency adopting a foreign policy shift and realignment away from global leadership and traditional allies to isolationism and, even more worrying, abandoning a rules-based world order to one of empires where “the strong do what they can, and the weak suffer what they must” (attributed to the ancient Greek historian Thucydides), African states must realign their foreign policy to defend the best interests of the continent.

Colonial legacy and weak institutions leave the continent vulnerable to all vices – internal and external. We have decisions to make – appealing to victimhood while giving foreigners unfettered access to our natural resources is a grave mistake.

We cannot ignore the past; indeed, our progress relies on our deep understanding of it and its impact on contemporary systems and institutions, but we are responsible for the present.

Reliance on foreign aid for basic needs like nutrition, clean water, primary healthcare programmes including family planning, HIV and AIDS prevention, education, infrastructure, etc., illustrates African leadership’s malign neglect.

The foreign aid-dependent model that Africa relies heavily upon to fund its development programmes is a false economy that requires immediate reform. It is a travesty that to this day African capitals witness official aid surpassing private capital; this level of dependency is a hindrance to local development.

As the US Trump administration shifts and realigns its geopolitical focus and – with that – its foreign policy, what is Africa doing to adjust to the possible consequences of the changes?

Freezes in funding of aid programmes offered via the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) must be a reminder to Africa’s governments that foreign aid is not in our control, it can be withdrawn at short notice with devastating outcomes for dependent communities. Africa needs a permanent, locally guaranteed fund to assist poor communities.

Policymakers need to realign government policies with African values, culture, interests, and needs. A rethink of our international engagement and responsibilities will be essential in ensuring we take care of local issues and remain an integral part of the international community.

The blind consumption of Western and US political and economic ideology is a foundational weakness that exposes Africa to foreign control and exploitation. It is the height of folly that creates local disharmony due to an ongoing disconnect between governance institutional paths and policy demands and public expectations; it highlights profound poverty of ideological creativity, a lack of self-pride and an absence of core values and principle in the way the leaders of states within the continent conduct themselves.

A strong, focused, principled and united Africa must be the expectation, not an exception for real progress to be achieved.

Urgent review and streamlining of roles of Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and the African Union (AU) is critical if we are to identify and promote essential interests and turn ideas to concrete reality – the promotion and protection of continental strategic interests (good governance, economic growth, security, investment in science, innovation and technology) in a rapidly changing geopolitical alignment.

The age of dependency on foreign aid for our primary needs is the past, the future lies in local investment and empowerment of local governments, RECs and the AU so we can choose our allies from a position of strength, not weakness.

We must work as a collective to ensure national governments are held to high moral standard and reduce incidences of acute political crises in the region. It is also important to strengthen civil society to improve the quality of active political participation and ensure local communities are co-creators of policy, not just consumers.

Funding economic programmes must be addressed to ensure real progress is achieved. Lack of investment in research, science, technology and innovation needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency to address knowledge gap and ensure an effective transition from extractive ‘dig and sell’ economies to processed high value products.

We must reform funding of our education systems with an intentional focus on science, innovation and technology (SIT). The intention will be to increase our scientific knowledge, expertise and capacity to process and turn our natural resources into valuable products for the global markets.

Security is essential for development. We believe that Africa needs to invest heavily in high quality military training, armament, and professionalism to improve security and safety for its citizens and economic resources. Our military must swear an oath to the constitution not individual leaders, and its conduct must be based on integrity, respect for human rights, and the subordination to civilian authority.

Foreign aid in emergencies is justifiable but foreign assistance as a development policy is a disastrous approach. Africa must realign its policies and focus on strengthening its institutions and form mutually beneficial international relations.