Since the achievement of independence from European colonialists, many African states continue to experience social, economic, and political challenges that derailed development in those countries. During the colonial period, European forces subjected African states to extreme brutality, including slavery and forced labor. Additionally, the creation of artificial boundaries to mark colonial territories led to the disintegration of several African cultures (The Green Belt Movement, 2012). Many African nationalists used these challenges to unite their people, motivating them to fight for their independence and promising them better lives once they became sovereign states (Gilbert & Reynolds, 2011). However, after independence s sense of disunity developed within the political elite, which complicated the administration of affairs. This paper analyzes how greed for power, neo-colonialism, and corruption made it difficult for African countries such as Ghana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Cameroon to manage their affairs despite being united by one culture.
During the colonial era, African nationalists presented themselves to the people as the ultimate solution to the problem that the people were experiencing under the administration of colonial masters. As a result, they attracted the support and trust of the people in their quest for political independence. The brutality that the Africans were subjected to made them desperate for freedom and easily influenced them into following the ideology of their leaders without question (Boahen, 1987). As a result, the leaders’ urge for power grew immensely so they could fight their people who tried to oppose them. For instance, in the case of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mobutu Sese Seko organized the execution of Patrice Lumumba, whom he considered a threat to his political ambitions (Films Media Group., 2002). Mobutu’s quest for power made him overthrow the Lumumba administration through a coup. He stayed in power for thirty-one years, ruling the country brutally, especially those who opposed him and backed his political rivals.
The obsession for power in some African leaders blurred the need to meet the people’s expectations and deliver on their promises. As a result, political uprisings became common in many African states. For instance, in West Africa, Kwame Nkrumah’s administration was overthrown in 1966 for mismanagement of political affairs of the country (Films Media Group., 2002). Nkrumah’s ambition for uniting all the African countries into one state overshadowed his administration’s duty to address the needs of his people (Films Media Group., 2002). His critics argue that he was driven by the greed for power to rule the whole of Africa. He became obsessed with other African states’ independence and ended up sidelining his leadership duties. Besides, he authorized the detention without trial to eliminate opposition to his administration. During his tenure, Nkrumah survived several assassination attempts before exiling in Guinea, where he continued with his political ambitions as a co-president.
Neo-colonialism was another significant factor that posed a challenge to the administration of the independent states. As a superpower, the United States wanted to exert substantial influence on the content of Africa. As a result, the CIA started supporting the political ambitions of the African nationalists who agreed to the policies of the US (Films Media Group., 2002). This strategy created disunity and led to the rise of opposition movements within independent states to overthrow sitting governments. One beneficiary of neo-colonialism was the DRC dictator, Mobutu Sese Seko. The United States supported him in overthrowing the Lumumba administration, which the Soviet Union backed (CrashCourse, 2020). As a result, disunity and instability developed which undermined good governance.
In Cameroon, neocolonialism was presented through the Anglophone problem. This issue involves ideological differences between the English-speaking and the French-speaking Cameroonians. During the colonial era, Cameroon was colonized by three colonial powers, including the Germans, the French, and the British (Teno, 1992). While the francophone population is the majority, the Anglophone Cameroonians have accused the majorly francophone government leaders of mistreatment and embezzlement of funds. As a result, separatist groups have emerged, backed by Britain for the Anglophone and France for francophone. Before the colonial era, Cameroon was united under the Bantu-speaking people. Researchers have linked the country to be the original homeland of the Bantus. However, colonialism displaced the people and disintegrated the unifying culture, thus creating the Anglophone problem that has led to the development of political instability in the region.
Neo-colonialism is rampant in many African states due to the vast raw materials that the continent contains. European nations continue to exert significant influence on their former colonies in Africa to continue benefiting from the raw materials and market for their products. For instance, DRC is considered the wealthiest resource country in the world, with essential minerals that are raw materials for many products (Films Media Group., 2002). Ironically, the country is one of the poorest nations on the planet due to poor governance and political instability. Besides, neo-colonialism is influenced by the underdevelopment in the mismanaged countries forcing the leaders to seek foreign aid from their former colonial masters. In return, the foreign forces are allowed to exploit the natural resources as a payment of the foreign debt some African countries owe (McCormack, 2008). Therefore, neo-colonialism has played a significant role in destabilizing some African countries, such as the DRC and Cameroon, through the support that uprising and separatist groups get from various foreign powers.
Corruption is another significant problem that has made it difficult for some African countries to manage their affairs. During the quest for independence, many African elites who rose to power lacked administrative skills such as integrity, accountability, and transparency (Gilbert & Reynolds, 2011). The excitement of exerting power on their subjects hindered them from properly making effective administrative decisions to use public funds. Instead, they exercised brutality on their people by alienating them from their land and trading the national resources for their gain. Additionally, foreign aid that some of these countries received from abroad was embezzled and distributed among the government officials without benefiting the majority of the people. As a result, various opposition groups and activist organizations emerged, calling for transparency and accountability among government officials.
These opposition groups gradually transformed into revolutionary movements that later overthrew their governments. For instance, in Ghana, the Nkrumah administration was criticized for the high levels of corruption that crippled significant sectors of the economy (Films Media Group., 2002). For instance, the cocoa industry, one of the main sources of foreign exchange for the country, was mismanaged and nationalized to benefit a few government officials. As a result, the foreign debt burden became unbearable to the country. Furthermore, corruption in Ghana led to chronic food shortages and the inability of the government to pay civil servants leading to frequent strikes that paralyzed important sectors of the economy.
In the DRC, Mobutu exercised corruption on a large scale and silenced any opposition that demanded transparency in his administration. Mobutu engaged in corruption and misuse of government funds to sustain his extravagant lifestyle. For instance, it is estimated that he squandered national resources worth $15 billion during his reign (Films Media Group., 2002). After Mobutu was removed from power via a coup by Desire Kabila, the latter’s administration continued with the vice of corruption to the detriment of the public. In Cameroon, corruption continues to be rampant at all national levels. After the tenure of the country’s first president, Ahmadou Ahidjo resigned and was succeeded by Paul Biya in 1983 (Teno, 1992). Since then, Biya has been the president of Cameroon, making him the longest-serving president in Africa and the longest-serving non-royal leader in the world. Biya’s administration is characterized by rampant corruption and misappropriation of funds (Teno, 1992). His poor governance has fueled the Anglophone crisis leading to an uprising with the country’s Southern region threatening to separate itself and become independent. Therefore, corruption remains a bigger problem that has hindered the progress of many African states during the colonial and post-colonial periods.
In conclusion, achieving independence in many African states did not solve the problems that they were experiencing during the era of colonialism. The significant factors that have hindered the political, economic, and social development of some African states include greed for power among the African states’ founding fathers, the problem of neocolonialism, and the issue of corruption. These factors have destabilized governments and created revolutions that have led to coups and assassinations of leaders in some African countries. As a result, some African states could not govern their affairs and failed to deliver the promises they offered to their people regarding the benefits of independence. Such countries are ridden with poverty and high crime rate due to poor governance.
References
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