LEADERSHIP CRISIS IN AFRICA AND THE ROLE OF YOUTHS IN CREATING A BETTER FUTURE

 
Written by Ekoja Okewu |
Published on:

INTRODUCTION

“Leadership crisis erupts when people who have not learnt to obey instructions are given the privilege to give commands”-Israelmore Ayivor

Although Africa’s blessed with abundant resources, there is presently a correlation between leadership crisis and underdevelopment in Africa.

EXAMPLES OF LEADERSHIP CRISIS IN AFRICA

DR Congo’s endowed with natural resources by nature. It’s considered the richest country on earth in terms of mineral resources but the misrule of Mobutu Seko plunged the country into economic under-development and instability.

In Central African Republic, the tyrannical rule of Emperor Jean Bedel coupled with the intersection of corruption and gross inefficiency made the beautiful nation a war zone.

Lack of respect for the rule of law, political executions, corruption, large inequality gaps and unchallenged authoritarianism was synonymous with the reign of Teodoro Nguema.

Widespread cases of underdevelopment and human right infringements was a norm in Malawi under the leadership of Kamuzu Banda. He went further to even himself as a “life president” of his country.

As a teen, hearing the name “Uganda” brought thoughts of evil to me. The corruption and tyranny that characterized Milton Obote and Idi Amin’s rule have continued to hurt her citizens long after their reign.

Zimbabwe too wasn’t left out of leadership crisis during the reign of Robert Mugabe. The country has an unemployment rate of 60% coupled with having one of the world’s most valueless currency.

The problem of leadership crisis has been on for decades, but the effect could be abated when youths begin to be productively involved in the affairs of the continent.

HOW AFRICAN YOUTHS CAN WORK TO CREATE A BETTER FUTURE

Africa will grow wild and become a complete wilderness where nothing can thrive, if the seed of God’s word isn’t sown deliberately in the earth. Youths transformed by the gospel should make effort to extend such message to their peers held captive by the devil and sin.

They also need to start having visions of the continent the want. Ignorance has been the primary weapon of containment for Africa. A great man once said, “The best way to hide something from black people is to put it in a book”. We now live in the information age where anyone can access information on any subject of interest yet, we have refused to read. Youths should be encouraged to research about visionary leaders like David Ben-Gurion, Jawaharlal Nehru and Deng Xiaoping who were able to transform their countries through the application of quality leadership.

Young Africans should pursue courses in law and also team to form social and political groups where their ambitions can be nurtured. “The not too young to run” bill which was recently signed into law by the Nigerian government ought to be replicated across the continent. Bills capable of ending gender inequality while providing equal opportunity for all shouldn’t be ignored as this will help create change when youths are elected into political offices.

 Children should be mentored in school clubs to cultivate the habit of morality and uprightness. This will help breed future leaders who are experienced servants.

Brain drain is the emigration of skilled nationals, resulting in the depletion of skilled human resources in their countries of origin. The African Union estimates that about 70,000 skilled professionals emigrate yearly from Africa. This greatly hampers the health, economic, education, financial, and infrastructural sector. According to WHO, about 0.45 physicians are responsible for the welfare of a thousand Africans. Since the continent already loses billions of dollars in cost of training these people who then migrate to seek better opportunities elsewhere, young leaders in government should generate gender responsive economic development programs to provide gainful employment, professional development and educational opportunities to qualified nationals in Africa.

 

Around two-third of the African population is employed within the agricultural sector, with vast majority working on small-scale farms that currently produce around 90% of all output. The UN estimates that the population of Africa may reach 2.5billion by 2050 but Agriculture can play a vital role in the socio-economic climate of the continent if youths leverage upon technology to address the problem of food security and poverty.

Site selection in the past was done using the sense organs, but to increase food production, it is important to adopt the use of theodolite and mapping equipment to get accurate information about farmlands. Indoor vertical farming, which is the practice of growing produce, staked one above another in a closed and controlled environment. When adopted by youths, it increases crop yield, overcomes limited land area and reduce farming impact on the environment by cutting down distance travelled along the food supply chain. Enrolling youths to study courses like this can help alter genetic makeup of plants, increase animal production and predict future profitability.  Since youths are computer perceptive, investing in the use of sensors, monitors and data technologies can help in the actualization of zero hunger. It can also help in precision farming, prevent biased based data and lead to timely decision making.  Farm automation is the technology that makes farms more efficient and automates the crop or livestock production cycle. Youths being fast learners, can employ the use of drones, autonomous tractors, waterers, harvesters and seeding robots to cover a wide area and boost food production.  Green house farming is another way to attain food sustainability. The use of LED lights and environmental control systems can help protect crop and animals from the adverse effect of climate change and ensure all year supply of food. To reduce production cost, young agriculturist and financial investors should employ the use of precision technology to obtain accurate information and farming techniques. Block-chain when used by young farmers solves the problems of food fraud, supply chain inefficiency and safety recalls. This structure can help ensure food safety, increase networking in the agricultural world and balance market pricing. FAO predicts that about 1.3 billion tons of food are globally wasted per year-Gustavasson, et al. To address this problem, pressurized storage tanks and refrigerators can be used for storing agricultural products while perishables can be processed into finished products to lengthen its shelf life. Weather trackers and satellite imaging can help young farmers take precautions to mitigate losses and receive appropriate satellite images during danger from the comfort of their homes. The application of RFID technology helps consumers to access information about how a food was produced. This creates a farmer-consumer trust relationship. Social media platforms and the internet can be leveraged upon by the youths to create an organized marketing plan, actualize the SDGs and drive food sustainability.

 

Nature has blessed Africa with a vast degree of biodiversity, but current trends in the daily investment activities of man could lead to the damage of our ecology. There is a limit to which man can go in protecting nature, but employing the use of satellite, drones, robots and other computer software will help in future augmentation of human effort in collecting, collating, and  monitoring species in the wild . Student should also be mandated with the responsibility of planting a tree before graduating from school, as this will help in restoring the world’s vegetation. Closely related to this is the organization of awareness and enlightenment campaigns that will help in arming members of the public with information about how to sustainably interact with their environment. Many pollinators are destroyed yearly through substances of inorganic origins, which has led to a decline in the population of some endangered crop pollinating species. The use of inorganic chemicals like pesticides and herbicides should be replaced with those of organic origins that are environmentally friendly. Also, since controlled burning encourages the germination of some plant species, reveals soil mineral strata thereby increasing seedling vitality and ensuring forest continuity, the practice of controlled burning should be practiced during the cooler months to reduce fuel build-up and decrease the likelihood of serious hotter fires. Furthermore, the waste management culture around the continent needs to be improved on. It is common to find youths polluting our water bodies with leather bags, sachets, plastic containers and other non-biodegradable materials. These materials reduce the available oxygen in the aquatic habitat leading to the eventual death of these organisms. Streets, parks and households should be provided with waste management services like incinerators and waste bins to prevent indiscriminate dumping of refuse. Young legislators should enact laws capable of protecting our resources at all levels of government. Community policing by youth groups should enforce these policies, protect wild life against poachers, curb insecurity and ensure the sustainability of Africa’s biodiversity.

CONCLUSION

“A dream doesn’t become a reality through magic, it takes sweat, determination and hard-work”-Collin Powell

Africa has a young population where about 60% of her entire citizens are below 25. She therefore, has the potential to overcome her leadership crisis and build an enviable future. As youths, let’s unite with God, rise with vision, study, employ technology, unlearn to relearn and preserve our biodiversity for the economic prosperity of unborn generations.

REFERENCES:

  1. https://m.guardian.ng/features/leadership-crisis-in-africa
  2. https://www.likedin.com/pulse/you-want-hide-something-from -blackput-book-sa-treasury-rachel-lakhi
  3. Fertility rates total(births per women)- Sub-Saharan Africa The world bank
  4. oxfordbusinessgroup.com/blog/souhir-mzalilfocus-reports/agriculture-africa-2019-special-report
  5. https://www.tralae.org/discussions/articles/11690-why-is-25th-may-important-for -african-nations
  6. Adegoke Yinka The youngest continent will keep being run by its oldest leaders
  7. https://www.mo.ibrahim.foundation/news/2018/brain-drain-bane-africas-potential
Copyright © TravelDailyLife.com

Author: Ekoja Okewu
I am Ekoja Solomon from Nigeria. I love engaging in writeups that spur humanity into action

Comments

Please Login to Comment
No comments have been posted. Be the first.



Hire a Writer