With poor politics, Africa can’t grow, Ezekwesili says

Former Minister of Education, Dr Obiagele Ezekwesili, has called on all Africans to make deliberate efforts to fix democracy and leadership culture on the continent.

Ezekwesili said that as long as Africa continues on the path of very poor politics with a political culture that subordinates the common good for personal, private or narrow interest, there is no chance of Africa achieving economic development.

Ezekwesili stated this at the call at an African Conference organised by the School of Politics, Policy and Governance (SPPG) on Thursday in Abuja to as part of its 3rd graduation ceremony.

The ex-Vice President for the World Bank’s Africa Region said that nothing changes unless efforts are made to make the change, saying that African citizens should not sit back hoping leadership will be fixed.

Ezekwesili, who is the founder of SPPG, said that democracy is a very important because democracy comes with political freedom.

She said that it also comes with the rule of law which is the cornerstone of economic freedom that leads to the proliferation of ideas, of innovations and creativity.

“If we know our mistakes, as evidence abounds, we cannot then sit back and hope that somehow change will come.

“So if Africans need to transform our politics, and we just sit back as citizens, hoping that those who have entrenched governance, as a matter of political culture, will someday fall in the kind of situation of Apostle Paul and have a Damascus experience, we will wait forever.

“That is not something that this generation should do,” she said.

Ezekwesili said the the SPPG graduated 160 persons in 2021 and 134 in 2022 out of which 55 contrasted for elections in 2023 and nine won tickets of their parties.

According to her, the aim is to populate the political space with people with skills and of high moral standing to change the narrative.

Also speaking, Martha Karua, a former Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister in Kenya said she had been in politics for three decades as member of parliament and minister.

She said that election had become a ritual to give some legitimacy to those who grab power unconstitutionally.

“Right now we are focusing on the coups happening across Africa but we are not remembering that the real coups happen at the election period when elections are rigged.

“All hope is not lost, we cannot afford to give up, we must clean up this mess, and this we will do as citizens of Africa by choosing to become active and engage, using elections to overwhelmingly reject bad Governace for good governance,” she said.

Karua said that Africa is a rich continent with the best of natural resources but all its countries are often listed among the poor countries in the world.

She said Africa’s best human and natural resources are being enjoyed everywhere across the world, but in African and that has to change.

A member of parliament of Angola, Loundes Fenandes, said that the best of human resources in Africa can be used to transform the continents

She said African has the best natural resources in the world and that Africa also have a lot of sun, and that it was time to shine over the world.

Fenandes said that as member of parliament, she is fighting corruption which has earned the name “madam compliance” among her pairs.

She said that the biggest problem on the continent is corruption, and all hands must be on deck expel it.

Also speaking, Aya Chebbi, a freedom fighter from Tunisia, tasked all African citizens on unity, as no African country could rise without the other.

According to her, Nigeria cannot rise without Tunisia, Ghana cannot rise without South Africa and Kenya cannot rise without Sierra Leon

She said that this generation wants a bother-less continent, and there is a need to raise the divisions among member states as they are right now.

Chebbi said that ethnic and religious lines must give way to freedom on the African continent for all to rise.