Africa won’t prosper until it gets rid of despots

THE greatest barrier to development of chronically poor countries in Africa and elsewhere in the developing world is the quality of their political leadership.

Far too often political power is seen as a means to self-enrichment and there is no shortage of brutal and greedy candidates who are prepared to do anything to take up the reins of power.

Charles Taylor of Liberia is just the latest in a long line of brutal tyrants to have spread terror and misery to the poor and the vulnerable while they amass vast personal fortunes.

The most important thing that can be done to improve the lives of millions of people in Africa is for the international community to find some means of rewarding good governance but also, in the name of common humanity, to remove from power tyrannical and murderous leaders before they spread their death and mayhem too widely.

African history, even of the last 50 years, is littered with leaders who have caused the deaths of millions of people and retarded the progress of the continent immeasurably.

Names such as Idi Amin, Robert Mugabe, Frederick Chiluba, Omar Al Bashir, Sani Abacha, Jean-Bedel Bokassa, Laurent Kabila, Haile Mariam Mengistu, Mobutu Sese Seko, King Mswati III and Daniel Arap Moi send a shudder down the spine of anyone who knows anything about Africa.

Between them these men have cost the lives of many millions of innocent African people and embezzled vast fortunes running to trillions, the loss of which has condemned many populations to almost Stone Age levels of poverty, crippling debt, an HIV/AIDS pandemic, abysmally low education levels and an almost total lack of infrastructural development.

Last year that old dictators’ club, the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), morphed into the African Union which held out great hope for spreading the idea of democracy around the continent until it became clear that people such as Robert Mugabe and Muammar Gaddafi were playing a prominent role.

Africa cannot expect the rest of the world to solve their problems for them but they deserve our continuing assistance if they show an interest in seeking solutions and are prepared to face some unpleasant realities.

Before any progress can be made African leaders must root out the tyrants in their midst. Otherwise the tragedy of wasted lives will continue and the humanitarian organisations will continue to apply sticking plasters where surgery is needed.

John O'Shea,

GOAL,

PO Box 19,

Dun Laoghaire,

Co Dublin.