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African Leaders Must Stop Blaming Colonialism For Underdevelopment – Scholars Urge
African Leaders Must Stop Blaming Colonialism For Underdevelopment – Scholars Urge
Scholars urge African leaders to stop blaming colonialism for underdevelopment and take responsibility for the continent’s future.
Participants fault Africa’s continued dependence on Western nations, foreign loans and imported goods, calling for stronger domestic economies.
Academics advocate home-grown development policies, industrialisation and technological advancement to promote self-reliance.
November 01, () – Scholars and students of the Department of History and International Studies, Akwa Ibom State University (AKSU), have challenged African leaders to stop blaming colonialism for the continent’s underdevelopment and take responsibility for building sustainable political and economic systems.
The scholars argued that decades after independence, Africa’s continued dependence on former colonial powers and other Western nations for economic assistance, political guidance and development initiatives had exposed the failure of its leaders to take ownership of the continent’s future.
The position was canvassed during a diplomatic discourse organised by the department on the theme, “Africa’s Underdevelopment: Colonial Legacy or Self-Inflicted?” The event featured participants from Rivers State University and the University of Uyo.
Chairman of the occasion, Dr Amah Williams, said Africans had consistently attributed the continent’s slow pace of development to the exploitative structures established during colonial rule, which entrenched dependency on foreign powers.
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He, however, challenged participants to critically examine whether colonialism remained the principal obstacle to Africa’s development or whether the continent’s leadership failures had contributed significantly to its present challenges.
Contributing to the debate, representatives of the University of Uyo blamed African leaders for failing to assume responsibility for the continent’s development despite gaining political independence several decades ago
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They observed that African countries remained largely dependent on Western nations for economic survival and political direction instead of developing indigenous policies and institutions capable of driving growth.
The discussants also identified Africa’s consumption-driven economy as a major obstacle to development, arguing that the continent had continued to consume foreign products rather than build productive capacities capable of strengthening its economies.
They noted that although colonialism introduced institutional structures that shaped Africa’s political, economic and social systems, the continued dependence on foreign commodities and imported goods reflected the failure of successive African administrations to transform those structures.
The participants further faulted African countries for their persistent reliance on international financial institutions, particularly the World Bank, for loans, instead of strengthening domestic production, expanding their economic bases and growing their Gross Domestic Products.
They called on African leaders to develop strong political and economic blueprints that would promote self-reliance, industrialisation and technological advancement while reducing dependence on external assistance.
The Convener of the discourse, Mr Kenneth Okon Umoekpe, said the engagement was organised to stimulate critical thinking on the causes of Africa’s persistent underdevelopment and encourage a new approach to the continent’s development.
Umoekpe maintained that Africa must move beyond the colonial experience and evolve home-grown development strategies capable of addressing its peculiar challenges without depending on former colonial powers.
He said the continent had reached a stage where its leaders and citizens must take responsibility for their collective future.
“It is time for Africans to develop without considering their colonial masters. We have come to a point where we must take our destiny into our hands,” he said.
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