Africa in 2010
Written by DITHAPELO KEORAPETSE
How will African Politics be in 2010? What's in store for Africans? Other than the FIFA 2010 Soccer World Cup which will be hosted by South Africa, what will be interesting about the continent in the year 2010?
The African continent has been notorious of coups and counter coups, military rules, one party states, dictatorships and other forms of undemocratic regimes.
The continent is known for interstate and intrastate wars and conflicts which result in atrocities or gross violations of human rights and destruction of economies. Abject poverty, diseases, malnutrition, unemployment, wealth and income disparities have become synonymous with Africa.
It is contended that little will change in Africa in 2010.
The continent's regional organisations have become clubs of the ruling parties and have very little to offer the African citizens.
We have seen these organisations exhibiting a rather lackadaisical attitude when they were supposed to firmly deal with power drunk leaders who bend democracy to their will and manipulate electoral and constitutional processes to enable them to retain power.
2010 will see these sit-tight leaders who perpetuate themselves in power and refuse to go. A disturbing trend also in African politics, albeit not new, is dynastic successions and politics of blood relations or kingship.
We have seen Faure Gnassimbe Eyadema taking over Togo following the death of his father, Gnassimbe Eyadema who ruled Togo for 38 years.
Faure's half brother also became the minister of defence. We have also seen last year in Gabon Ali Bongo Ondimba succeeding his late father Omar Bongo Ondimba who ruled the country for 42 years.
Disputed elections have characterized the aforesaid leaders' ascension to power. In other parts of the continent, Kenya and Zimbabwe, bad precedents of unity governments have been set after disputed elections.
African leaders who lose elections now know that a solution to staying in power is through unity governments. The other thing is that African leaders do not just stay in power; they enrich themselves by plundering the resources of their countries through corruption.
On the economic front, Africa was also hit by the global economic meltdown particularly because most of its economies depend on exporting raw materials, mainly agricultural produce and minerals.
In general, the continent has neither attracted meaningful foreign direct investment nor fostered domestic investment which could diversify the economy. Africa lacks strong manufacturing base.
African economies are unable to generate wealth and some countries remain indebted. Trade among African countries is also generally low as most of the continent's exports go overseas.
In 2010 African countries should intensify their lobbying of rich countries for debt relief and must resist unmitigated neoliberal economics propounded by the West.
Notwithstanding their poverty, African countries are told by the West through international financial institutions (World Bank and International Monetary Fund) and the World Trade Organisation to; liberalise trade and finance, privatize, let the market set the price, end inflation (inflation targeting), cut public service expenditure low, and that African states should get out of the way hence the population too.
This neoliberal rhetoric should be ignored because it will sink us further into poverty and result in unprecedented bonanza for the affluent multinational corporations and African elites.
African leaders should not act like they don't know the importance of state lead development. In 2010, the strategic importance of Africa will be high resulting from a new scramble for Africa's resources particularly oil.
Oil has been found in large quantities in the African continent and this has lead to what some call the new scramble for Africa.
Rich countries, mainly US, China and European countries are engaged in fierce competition for Africa's oil.
Many of their companies have invested or are planning to invest in Africa. Already there are signs that oil revenues are not trickling down to the poor. In Angola it is said that US$2 billion of oil revenues disappears through corruption every year.
Also prominent in the realm of international political economy is the Sino-Africa relations, a development that has got the West worried.
The debate on this will continue this year, particularly on how best the continent can benefit from a reciprocal relationship with the China. In 2010, Africa will continue to feature prominently in world politics and world economy.
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