Africa cries for action, less rhetoric

Lazarus Sauti

Africans are in the celebratory mood, and the occasion is one – the Africa Day. The day marked on May 25 every year, however, comes at a time when most, if not all, African countries are confronted by many problems which need all patriotic citizens of the continent to unite in finding lasting solutions.

Countries within the continent, despite large quantities of natural resources including diamonds, salt, gold, iron, cobalt, uranium, copper, bauxite, silver, petroleum and gas as well as forests and tropical fruits over and above tourist attractions, are ravaged by poverty and disease outbreaks.

“Africa, the world’s second-largest continent, is endowed with natural resources and tourist attraction such as Victoria Falls, Table Mountain, Serengeti National Park, Mount Kilimanjaro and Congo Caves among others, but poverty, diseases and terrorist attacks keep haunting her people,” noted political analyst, Chris Mutsvangwa, who is also Zimbabwe’s minister of War Veterans.

With more than 50 independent member-states, the continent is still hampered by foreign debt, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, xenophobia, instability, corruption, violence, wars.

Sadly, it appears Africans are not yet prepared to find lasting answers to problems ravaging the continent.

African countries should put at the fore guiding principles requiring them to find panaceas to troubles halting political, economic, social, technological, environmental as well as legal development.

Cautiously, the continent must not flee from the international community, since no man is an island, but countries as well as citizens must endeavor to be full partners in addressing insurmountable African setbacks.

African Union Commission Head of Peace and Security, Ambassador Smail Chergui, says there is need for African solutions to African problems – an ideal that owes its existence to the fight led by Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah and other Pan-African founding fathers against neo-colonialism, who advocated for Africans to control their destiny, politically, socially, economically.

“African countries should always place their unity as well as solidarity above everything else. This is what they should always aim as Africans – African solutions to African problems,” Chergui said, while addressing the meeting of Chiefs of Defence and Head of Security Services at the 8^th Ordinary meeting of African Union Ministers of Defence, Peace and Security.

Taking a leaf from author Chika Onyeani’s Capitalist Nigger: The Road to Success, he said, “Africans should stop relying on the Caucasians, Japanese and Chinese and realise they too can control their own resources, make their own products and economically empower themselves.”

Chergui also urged member-states to redouble their efforts and continue providing support to fully realise their continental vision of having answers to African problems.

Most countries in the continent, asserts Ambassador Chergui, still face challenges that need to be addressed through effective funding and provision of other enablers, a notion recently propelled by the African Union and the Southern African Development Community chairperson, President Robert Mugabe, when he said that there is need for member states to financially contribute to ongoing and future security operations within the continent.

Speaking during the 8^th Ordinary meeting of African Union Ministers of Defence, Peace and Security, Zimbabwe’s Minister of Defence, Sydney Sekeramayi, also said the time is now for Africans to lead their own renaissance in becoming world leaders in the globe.

He added that African countries must also exploit their resources if they are to contribute to current as well as future security operations within their respective countries.

“The logic of responsibility, ownership and right to drive our continent to the next level is what African solutions to African problems means. Consequently, member-states should exploit their vast natural resources and effectively embody the concept of African solutions to African problems if the continent is to accelerate the socio-economic emancipation of her citizenry,” noted Sekeramayi.

Zambia’s founding President, Dr Kenneth Kaunda, agrees and added that different problems that the continent faces can only be tackled with wise leadership taking advantage of the areas in which each African country possesses strengths or expertise.

“We need to do with what we have in each country and there is the question of land of course and it is a question of what we have on that land. Is it mines, agriculture, what we are doing to develop these God all these that God has given us?

“So I think that we have a chance to succeed and we can succeed as we stand together, work together as God’s creation. I have no doubt at all we have a chance to build this continent and we can do it,” he said in a recent interview.  

Subscribing to the idea of African problems to African solutions, Harare based researcher, Collence Chisita, also advices that answers should not only come from politicians, but from individuals, churches, civic groups, researchers and innovators.

Chisita said there is no better substitute for indigenous knowledge applied to universal principles.

“One reason why Africans must push for African solutions to African problems is simply that home-grown solutions are always the best way to solve problems.

“As a result, patriotic Africans from the spectrum of the continent must chip in with supreme ideas so as to take control of their own economic, political and social destinies,” he affirmed.

Chisita also said the principle of African solutions to African problems should not limit the thinking of Africans, but in fact, should allow citizens to embrace quality solutions from all sources worldwide.

Echoing similar sentiments, former South African president, Thabo Mbeki adds that African solutions to African problems demand action not only from politicians, but from world class African think-tanks – independent policy research institutions that seek to influence government policy.

Mbeki urges Africans within and across the continent to lead the charge in churning out supreme ideas that are equal to the task of solving all problems hindering development.

“Africa’s most brilliant analytical minds, who are in the region or abroad, must return home to lead the intellectual charge for the continent’s political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal transformation,” he says.

“The continent, therefore, needs a new breed of thinkers who will adopt as well as churn out world class ideas,” he added.

Mbeki also said that non-governmental organisations, private and public sectors as well as civic organisations are necessary institutions to keep African governments on check, an idea heavily supported by a radical African feminist, sociologist, writer, educator and publisher from Swaziland, Professor Patricia McFadden who urged these institutions to continue with playing their watchdog role within society.

Frankly, the issues of politicking should be the thing of the past, and according to Mutsvangwa, action should be the new buzz word.

Pablo Ruiz y Picasso, who was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, stage designer, poet and playwright and was also known as Pablo Picasso, was also spot on when he said that action is the foundational key to all success.

Therefore, action is the only springboard to Africa’s solutions to Africa’s problems, and with the continent in the mood of celebrating the Africa Day, as well as the Agenda 2063 in sight, the time is ripe for Africa and her citizenry to take action in uniting to fight the troubles that are halting political, economic, social and technological transformation in the continent.