Africa; My Peace I give unto You

As I sat back on my couch in an attempt to relax with the Nigerian dailies in hand (after a long day at work), I just could not hold back tears from flowing down my cheeks as I read the news of the release of 87 of the 276 Chibok School Girls who had been in captivity since April 14, 2014. While my tears were that of joy, it was soon turned to tears of pain as I discovered from the story that one of the rescued girls returned with an amputated leg. The news reminded me of the consequences and the resultant effect of conflict, violence, and instability. Soon, I felt like Tarzan about to burst with one of his famous yells with the question: “As an intellectual leader in Africa, what would I do to ensure that peace and security are achieved and sustained in Africa?” With this question on my mind, I began my quest into finding the answers Africa so desperately seeks.

The Economist once labeled Africa as “the hopeless continent” (The Economist, 2000). This label was due to weak economic governance, low growth figures and deepening poverty that the continent experienced prior to the year 1990. The constant political crisis, sexual violence, threats of famine and ethnic tensions were thought by many to validate this claim as many had already lost hope in the “Rising Lion”. This position was further corroborated by the unrest that started in the world’s youngest country-South Sudan on December 15, 2013, where tens of thousands were killed and millions displaced. However, having posted an economic growth rate of over 5% in the past decade and better macroeconomic indicators, relative peace in certain regions, The Economist changed her description of Africa to Africa on the rise: the hopeful continent (The Economist, 2011). Like, Akinwumi Ayodeji Adesina, I remain one of Africa’s greatest optimists with my optimism stemming from the conviction that Africa remains one of the most peaceful continents in the world with every tendency to become the most peaceful continent on the planet. This feat could be attained with the qualitative leadership, adherence to the rule of law, drive for gender equality, quality education and a strong emphasis on inclusive growth and development.

Attaining Peace through Quality Leadership: In the words of John C. Maxwell, the world’s most renowned leadership coach, “Everything rises and falls on leadership”. Very few words paint the truth about the reason behind the backwardness being experienced in Africa than these words. Africa’s greatest challenge has been that of qualitative leadership. With new words such as “stomach infrastructure” emanating from the African political landscape, many leaders are more concerned about self-service than people leadership. This mindset has made leaders in Africa act extra-constitutionally for selfish reasons. For example, President Salva Kir Mayardit of South Sudan exceeded his presidential authority at least twice, including the removal of two elected state governors and replacing them with caretaker governors who were more willing to dance to his beat. The concept of leadership needs to be redefined in Africa. The emphasis must move from positional leadership to self-leadership. If leadership is influence, then people must be made to understand that leadership is not title-determined but result-determined and impact-measured. Theodore Roosevelt Jnr., the 26th President of the United States of America once noted, “People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care”. These words also depict one of the reasons behind the unrest and bloodshed in Africa. Since the electorate can see without contradiction that their taxes are being diverted to private pockets and servicing the extravagant lifestyle of those who were elected to serve their interest, they are naturally driven to cause chaos. The continent's politicians must be able to demonstrate their pedigree with a profound trajectory revealing their commitment to public service before being allowed to contest for public office. Those who are found to have diverted public funds while in office must also be made to suffer the consequences of their actions.

Promoting Gender Equality: Africa is reported to lose a whopping $100billion annually to social and economic discrimination against women. With such staggering amounts lost to gender inequality, more researchers are convinced about the fact that Africa is closer to an economic revolution if she would promote women empowerment and legal reforms aimed at gender equality and women rights. It should also be noted that countries that invest more towards bridging the gender inequality gap tend to perform better on human development. With countries like Rwanda, Burkina Faso and Niger already taking the initiative towards promoting gender equality, more African countries are invited to join this League of Nations. Sub-Saharan Africa must rise up to the occasion and facilitate legal reforms to promote gender equality. Gender equality has been proven to be one of the greatest facilitators of peace. A look at the Aba Women’s Riot of 1929 led by women in the south-eastern region of Nigeria and its resultant effect on the political landscape of the country helps to paint a picture of how gender inequality facilitates instability and conflict.

Education and Peace: Achieving and sustaining peace would be a chase of the wind if the challenge of decadence in the educational system is not given the attention needed. Research has shown that there is a strong correlation between good education and peace. Little wonder countries like Finland, Netherlands, and Switzerland with great educational systems are considered to be some of the safest countries in the world. The reason behind this is not far farfetched; as Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” I consider good education to be “the great advantage”. This is because nothing provides a man with true freedom like quality education. Leaders in Africa need to call a state of emergency in the educational sector. Education must be given much-needed attention.

Peace and Inclusive Growth: While attaining peace could be achieved with the aforementioned strategies, it would be impossible to sustain peace without a drive towards inclusive growth. The prosperity of the region must be shared by all. Inclusive Growth is economic growth that creates opportunities for all segments of the population and distributes the dividends of increased prosperity, both in monetary and non-monetary terms, fairly across society (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, 2014). Any growth that does not lift the people out of poverty is a “useless growth” as it would soon be wiped away by violence and conflict. Africa’s growth though impressive is not entirely inclusive. Thus, sustaining peace would require leaders in Africa to lay emphasis on attaining greater levels of inclusiveness.

As a leader in my own sphere of influence, I have taken the initiative to reach out to the youths with a view to promote quality education, instill leadership values and promote accountable leadership. Having covered reached out to thousands of youths in the last 4 years, I am convinced that with sustained effort, Africa will rise of the shadows. Peace in Africa cannot be achieved on goodwill alone. Leaders in Africa must rise up from all quarters and strive to achieve peace.

Africa is on the right track. With Agenda 2063 of the African Union, High Five and the Sustainable Development Goals, Africa can leapfrog the stages of development and improve her rating on the Fragile States Index. African leaders are also enjoined to shift their focus from the mere cessation of hostilities to addressing the root causes of conflicts and violence. Though the battle towards achieving and sustaining peace in Africa may be fierce, with the rise of responsible leadership in Africa, the victory is sure.

References

Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. (2014). All on Board: Making Inclusive Growth Happen. Paris: OECD Publishing.

The Economist. (2000, May 13). The Hopeless Continent. Retrieved from The Economist: www.economist.com/node/21519234

The Economist. (2011, December 3). Africa Rising: A Hopeful COntinent. Retrieved from The Economist: https://www.economist.com/node/21541015