Ama Sumani, 39, has died in Ghana. She may not have directed any award winning films, or created master-pieces of any sorts, but she was a human being and that counts for a lot. The story around Ms Sumani's death which can be read here is such a painful one, that i am at a loss as to how i feel. What are the answers in situations like these? Should the questions be directed to the British government for having faulty processes in terms of deportation or to the inept Ghanian government who have failed their citizen so miserably. The questions abound but the need for development on the African continent becomes more urgent. How many more unecessary deaths like this will it take to show our leaders that it is not the West, nor aid nor China that can help us, but ourselves only!
There are several debates on the best strategy for alleviating poverty and promoting development across the African contient in its entirety. My investigations suggest that the Aid process although kindly, is not working. In fact it is failing miserably. Observers suggest a trend in areas that have recieved Aid that suffer from bad governance and wasteful spending. This is particularly evident in the failed states of Somalia and the DRC. Similarly, the conditionalities attached to the Aid process by Western governments is not helping either, why should societies different to theirs run on policies formulated by these governments (the west)? Amity Shlaes has written severally, that Aid is not the way to African development and even goes on to criticize its alternative, free/fair trade?
What is the alternative? Pan Africanism as suggested by the clever Dr Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem? Perhaps not. Ideal as it may seem, could the many ideologies existent on the continent be absorbed into a homogenous culture in order to achieve our shared objective of development? What is the likelehod of an EU style cooperative effort within a continent with so many levels of inequalities? Africa historically, has been built on difference and not on the opposite.
Trade is not free and definitely not fair. The concept of liberalized trade is a myth suggested by the big guns who run the WTO, aided by the inept leaders who are either clueless with regards to the mechanics of global economics or just can't be bothered to take their minds of the central banks they hold the cheque books for. Trade in itself is problematic. The economic development it is suggested to bring does not guarantee overall development as can be seen all over the continent. On paper, Sub-saharan Africa's GNP grew rather healthily in the last few years as opposed to the 90's but this was driven by an increased oil output, and in essence, the few oil producers on the continent. But as Mabogunje puts it, what does this mean for long term development? He asks that as petroleum is a non renewable resource, how can this be interpreted for sustainable development and managed for the future? The gulf states have seen this and are taking effective action in this regard through sovereign wealth funds and an egagement in the otherwise exclusive club barred by the TRIPS agreement. The problem is indeed complex.
Ama has died, and millions of others along with her. They say that nearly ten million children die before the age of five each year and the amount increases every year. The question here remains the same, what are we going to do about it?