How does the nature of African government limit development? Politics of Development in Africa

Issues You should familiarise yourself with the following areas and be able to analyse the effect they have on a countrys development –Political instability –Domestic policies –Poor governance –Kleptocracy and corruption

Political instability In recent history many African countries have experienced drastic political changes Most African colonies only became independent around 1960 and have struggled to achieve healthy democracy From there were 186 military coups and 15 African presidents were assassinated

What is a military coup? A military coup, or coup detat, is when the military uses force to get rid of the government Often, the military go on to take control of the country, leading to a military regime

Political Situation in the Central African Republic since Independence – Restricted Democratic Practice – One Party State (MESAN) – Military Regime & One Party State – One Party State (MESAN) – Transitional Period – One Party State (UDC) –1981 Restricted Democratic Practice – Military Regime – One Party State (RDC) – Multiparty Transition – Democracy – Military Regime –2005- Democracy

Political instability hinders development Why? –Leaders focus on simply holding onto power –Expensive projects which would lead to long term development (e.g. developing roads, telecommunications, health and education) are neglected

However… Stable government is not always good for development –Robert Mugabe has been president of Zimbabwe since 1980 but the country is experiencing major problems

Domestic policies Many African governments are poor at creating and implementing policies for development –Many spend more on military than on essential services E.g. Eritrea spend 19% of GDP on military but only 4% on education) –Tariffs and minimum prices which prevent them increasing their share of international trade Cotton trade has frozen in Malawi due to high minimum prices imposed by the government Eritrea Life Expectancy: male, female Infant mortality: deaths/1000 live births Where is Eritrea?

Poor governance This is a factor in a lot of Africas problems Features of bad governments: –amateur politicians in place who got their jobs through nepotism and/or military coups 32 African countries experienced military rule during the 20 th century – soldiers are not trained politicians –Police cannot be trusted –Taxes are not collected effectively –Government cannot be counted on to deliver key services –Human rights are abused

Kleptocracy Many African states are kleptocracies –A kleptocracy is a system in which leaders use their power to benefit themselves –Stealing public funds and/or aid money, accepting bribes or getting advantages in business Those who go along with the system get to share the rewards, while those who speak out suffer

How big is the problem? Of course, not all African politicians are corrupt However, late Nigerian Dictator Sani Abacha stole between $1 billion and $3 billion in the space of 5 years All this corruption diverts money away from aid projects and essential services Corruption in the Niger Delta

Addicted to aid A percentage of AID given to African countries is stolen by corrupt officials. The Ugandan Health Minister is suspected of stealing $1 million of AID money that was intended to fund development projects

Remember… not all African governments are inept and dishonest The Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership is awarded to leaders for not being corrupt –2007 winner: Joaquim Chissano (former president of Mozambique) –2008 winner: Festus Mogae, President of Botswana Chissano received the Mo Ibrahim Prize from UN Secretary General Kofi Annan Analysis: Despite its good leadership, Botswana is still a struggling country with an average life expectancy of 35 years and the second highest HIV/AIDS infection rate in the world

Case study: good domestic policy Uganda: The Poverty Eradication Action Plan Aim: to reduce poverty Features: –modernisation of agriculture –expansion and diversification of exports –reducing corruption –improving electric power supplies Successes: 6% economic growth rate Challenges: many Ugandans still feel that they are becoming poorer