9 July 2009
editorial
Nairobi — American President Barack Obama may have more than one reason for his stated choice of Ghana as the first African country to visit -- that it is a bastion of democracy in the continent -- but that is neither here nor there.
Every country is entitled to consider its geo-strategic interests before anything else, and the fact that President Obama omitted the country of his forefathers from his itinerary should not be construed to mean he does not have feelings for Africa.
He demonstrated this in an interview before embarking on his trip. African countries, he said, must curb corruption and reduce political instability if they are to attract investment.
Quite so. These two evils have long been recognised as the reasons why the continent remains so poor.
And it is not as though we need to be told so by an American president. We know the roots of our problems, and yet, instead of taking actions that could help grow our economies, our leaders go out blithely holding the begging bowl year in, year out.
Kenya is a good example of this conundrum. Its leaders have failed completely to fight graft despite their oft-stated good intentions, and as a result, the country has perennially been rated amongst the most corrupt in the world.
And yet we expect foreign direct investment to flow our way. Who in his right mind would invest in a country, and a continent, where grand larceny reigns and good governance is just a buzz-phrase?
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