Firstly, a significant part of the answer to that question is YES. Owing to our former rulers, Africa was ruled by dictators who - for the most part - were concerned about their well-being more than that of the economy.
Secondly, the reason why there is so much corruption in African governments is the inability to understand that politics are not about riches. When you make a decision to be a politician, you make a decision to serve and to have influence more than to have money. Africa’s politicians want both money and influence. I don’t mean that politicians must be poor but politicians should not concern themselves about self enrichment. This is the reason why corruption is so rife.
Thirdly, I think Africa’s politicians are sadly visionless. I do not think many stop and ask themselves what their personal vision is and, of course, the vision of a legacy they want to leave behind. Even if that vision is not publicly announced because I don’t think that any president does that anyway, but for ones’ leadership to be effective one needs a compass of where one wants to go. It is through this personal vision that one will be able to identify areas of responsibility whether through a collective or as an individual. I don’t think that the likes of Obama are a law to themselves, they too have a party and a constituency to report to but they look set on a particular vision - be it to transform perceptions about the US or the lives of ordinary Americans.
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