Lessons for Ghana: drop the generic and tired mantra of pursuing an export driven mercantile strategy in the vein of the Asian tigers. Develop a targeted strategy that builds on our unique advantages by doing the following.

Focus on our potential in agriculture, location and quality of governance, the last two being key to creating a thriving and productive services sector. In agriculture, aim for a vertically integrated operation for those goods we have a comparative advantage in and target domestic, South to South as well as Western markets. For example, made in Ghana premium microbatch chocolate, fruit preserves and juices as well as industrial starches. Leverage location to become the hub of West Africa for finance and other services. Again to be successful, we will need to upgrade port facilities and long distance roads if we are to make Ghana the premier transshipment point a la Singapore. Build upon our small advantage in governance: minimize crime, cut red tape and eliminate the hassle factor when it comes to doing business.

For more insight into how exactly corruption hurts the development of countries, see here. You will come away with a nifty little equation that captures most of what you need to know about this phenomenon:

C = (M + D – A)/E  …or in other words…

Corruption = (Monopoly + Discretion – Accountability) /Ethical Ambience.

So to reduce corruption then, we need to sincerely take the following steps:

1. As much as possible shine the light of competition into the hallways of  government. Why can’t we have two separate tax bodies responsible for collecting taxes at each of the two harbours in Ghana? We then align compensation at each agency with how well they do in terms of revenue collection as well as customer satisfaction. Finally, enact a rule that if a particular agency comes second consistently, management will be fired and a new crew brought in. You will see the demand for bribes go down as they competing hard to attract business.

2. Reduce the power of government to say no. We have way too many decision makers and invariably you need to make each and everyone of them happy or get stuck.  As much as possible, we should reduce the rules and regulations being spewed out by officialdom. The burden should be on government to justify any regulation. Seriously, look at the track record of these officials in Africa; can you tell me with a straight face that life is better for most people because of their existence of such rules.  What makes it worse is the widespread knowledge that breaking the rules is irrelevant if you have enough money. Well,  those rules can’t really be that important! So, lets do away with them and see how we do.

3.  Increase accountability by ensuring a free press, better run institutions as well as transparency in government decision-making. Why can’t we put the details of every government purchase and sale above a certain amount online where it will be readily accessible? We already have the records for such purchase orders so all we have to do is scan/type them into a database behind some webserver. I am sure we can get volunteers to fix any “technical issues” we may run into. Once we begin to see the companies and individuals receiving contracts, we can begin to connect the dots and it is that element of transparency that will make it more difficult to carry out the kind of  private profit maximization out of public assets we so often see in Africa.

4. Finally, increase the ethical ambience so that there is more involvement by citizens in the political process, there is more of a sense of national pride by our leaders and generally speaking, individuals at all levels have more of an affinity for their fellow citizens.  The role of media as well as our educational establishment is important here. Both children and adults need to be re-educated if necessary to understand how individual actions can harm the nation.

Debates about corruption tend to fixate on individuals. He is so corrupt! Or, he is so clean that he will be our saviour! Relying on a Messiah to save us is like relying on the weather to provide power. It will at some point fail you. Relying on a systematic approach that addresses each of the facets of corruption will guarantee enduring success irrespective of who may be in power.

Akosua Busia’s take on Nat Turner; wonder what sort of movie she would make if she turned her attention to her Old Man’s story?

In this piece, I will outline the kind of political economy that can be a force for changing our cultural value set. Our goal is to create a new kind of mentality among ourselves that will surely lead to the good life.

The crux of this approach is an unswerving, sincere focus on ordinary citizens–the men and women on the street and in the villages–as the source of economic progress. Contemporary African society must shift from our paternalistic mode of development, something that has its roots in our colonial interlude, in which power and all that is good is seen to flow from elite leadership.

At its worst, this leads to the atrocities of such infamous “Big Men” as Mugabe, Amin, Mobutu, Abacha and their ilk. At its best, it leads to a kind of mindset in which people try to get ahead using  their “connections” instead of competing on merit; and, in which everyone looks to the Government to provide everything. Isn’t it ironic to see people living in half a million dollar homes complaining that the state hasn’t tarred the roads in front of their mansion? What about those who complain about lack of sewer facilities in their neighborhoods but cannot not be bothered to clean up plastic waste from water sachets?

There will be risks in relying on the great unwashed masses for the innovation and ingenuity necessary for greater productivity, but there are even greater risks in relying on a small elite clique as we have been wont to do in the past.  As our track record so clearly shows, there is so much temptation inherent in the African condition that those who come into power (even with the best intentions) usually end up being corrupted and doing more harm than good. I for one cannot say that I would do things differently if I was thrust in a position of such absolute power and could multiply my net worth a gazillion times in one afternoon just by closing one deal!

What we need to do then is carve out a more limited role for Government so that it does less harm; but, and this is even more important, we must then raise our expectations for Government in its more limited role. This is the key aspect of how our politics can change our culture.

Transforming our cultural system in order to do better at economic development depends on qualitatively improving our human capital stock in order to best equip it for the central role it must play in our development.

In practical terms, this means that the state must place a non-negotiable premium on education for its people. Education in this sense is not just about literacy, it is also about civics and character education that aims at producing good citizens.  It means educational systems that are organically integrated with local communities and respond to the needs of these same communities. It means quality and meritocracy at all levels of the educational establishment. It is an educational system that transmits the traits of rationality, self-reliance and “can-do” to its pupils. It is one that offers its students hope and optimism that they have the tools to better their life. The goal must be to produce modern citizens with a secular mindset who feel in control of their own destiny.

Society must also place a high premium on providing basic health services, especially preventative services, to the bulk of the population. An unhealthy population will tend to be an unproductive one. Targeting mothers in providing assistance is a strategy that will yield tremendous benefits giving the role they play in transmitting knowledge to future generations.

The other critical priority of the state has to be law and order as well as property rights. If the state cannot properly manage its monopoly on the legal use of violence, it really forfeits all rationale for its existence. Widespread criminality and banditry take precious lives and make it impossible to have an economy that works for the majority of its participants. Likewise, if contracts cannot be legally enforced, there will be little incentive to invest and the sort of warped capitalism that you will typically see is one that yields meager benefits to most people.

Our political class can also play a unique role by helping creating new mythologies around the goals of society. By selectively picking strands from our past that are then leveraged to build new goals and attitudes for the future, the state can act as a catalyst for the creation of the kind of “New African” mind set we need. The sporting, arts and entertainment arenas are all areas ripe for such beneficial social engineering and we can jump start new industries in these areas. Done right, we can build stronger national sentiments, modernize attitudes and set aspirations that drive individuals forward. We will also feel better about ourselves!

It comes down to this. Instead of spending resources on presidential palaces & jets, far-flung diplomatic missions and all the other trappings of the modern nation-state (which benefit the political elite), our political class should focus on making our people smarter citizens and providing a safer and more assured environment for these smart citizens to go out and realize their full potential.

Even under the most trying circumstances most African societies show a high level of entrepreneurship and “hustle” as seen by the size of the informal sector. We just need to provide a much better incubator for these entrepreneurial energies than we have done to date. The results may be unpredictable but I would guess the odds are in favor of better outcomes for most people with such an approach.

The approach outlined above will only be viable in those African countries that have fairly functional central governments. Failed states will need dramatic changes in order to bring them back from the precipice before we can embark on such mindset changing initiatives. Painful to say, but we may need to start thinking about institutionalizing the role of external entities in nation building when it comes to those African states that simply do not seem to have the capacity to generate internal solutions to their problems.

For those lucky African states that have a little bit of a base to build on, what sort of political and economic system works best with our approach on changing societal mentalities. Politically, it is democratic and embodies accountability. The people need to be able to fire their leaders if they want. It is decentralized and engages the community in the rites of citizenship on an regular basis. It disdains the myth of the big man and promotes the myth of the ordinary man. It places a premium on a professional civil service. It is obsessed with high standards and sees meritocracy as an absolute good.

Economically,  a winning African state must embody the spirit of entrepreneurship; it will be individualistic in reality while paying homage to the community traditions of our past.  It will embrace real competition between real capitalists and disdain the crony capitalism between “connected” pseudo-capitalists. It will be an economy in which home ownership is seen as desirable and is promoted by the larger society. It will be a place in which it will be both desirable and possible to make a decent living working off the land. It will be a society of small business and one in which people strive to work for themselves.

We shall overcome our common challenges only when we believe deep within ourselves that we have the solutions to our problems. It is that unique trait of the human animal to bend the external environment to his or her will that makes it possible to live a civilized life.  As Africans, when we believe we control our own destiny, we would have overcome the most difficult obstacle to prosperity.

At the present time and with the current state of technology available, there is absolutely no reason for people to be dirt poor. The poverty seen in Africa does not arise from a a lack of tools; rather, it stems from how we apply or misapply those same tools. With each passing decade in which large swathes of Africa continue to lag behind their counterparts in other continents, our under-performance in the development stakes becomes apparent.

Afromatics is my version of Systemics as applied to African realities. Take as a given that every society will have systems in place. The minute you have more than a couple of individuals living and/or working together, a method or way will evolve to contain and shape the interactions such individuals have with each other. Examples of successful systems can be found in sports, business and the broader society. They can be as intricately assembled as John Wooden’s pyramid or as simply summed up as the Kop’s mantra from the seventies: pass-and-go. They do share one thing in common though: they are built and maintained to engender some successful outcome for those affected most by that system. They are not to be worshipped or seen as the be-all; rather, they are a means to an end and when they cease to do that job, it is time to critically look at them, refurbish them if feasible or abandon them if they no longer meet their prime directive.

In Afromatics I, I rolled out the two goals we need to keep in mind in any development effort, namely, higher per capita incomes and relatively better income equality. Given these relatively non-controversial goals, the question that begs for an answer is the “how to” achieve these goals. How do Ghanaians, Nigerians or the denizens of any other African country improve their life chances? Some will say it is well-nigh impossible. I say that is NOT the case. You just need to have the right mindset.

In striving to achieve our (agreed on) development goals, the three most relevant systems we need to examine are the culture, economic and political edifices in effect today.

In each of these realms the questions we should ask are a) what is the essential character of the arrangements we have in place today and, b) are these arrangements putting us closer to our development objectives or not.

Before we can answer these queries though, wouldn’t it be useful if we looked at those countries who are doing much better than us in terms of providing for their citizens?

The richer countries on this globe typically have a strong correlation with democratic political systems. They have an even stronger correlation with free market or capitalist systems (even though the contours of such systems differ from country to country). It is in the area of culture though that one finds the strongest correlative relationship. Richer countries typically exhibit a number of traits that have been dubbed progress-prone while poorer countries will show progress-resistant tendencies. Take a look at this typology and find out where you think your country fits in. Be honest!

What can one learn from this? Logically, if a society wants to be rich, it needs to identify the cultural values it has which work against prosperity and then change or adapt its culture in those problem areas. Cultural relativists will of course seek to shoot down such subversive thoughts; but, there is no shame in changing behaviour that leads to bad outcomes. To those who defensively mutter that “how dare you even hint that Ghanaian (substitute any African country here) culture could be at the root of the problems we have today”, I say this: which Ghanaian culture are we talking about? Is it the culture of the Gold Coast or Ghana? Is is the the culture in these areas before we had ever set eyes on those pesky colonialists? Or is it the culture that has evolved over the past 50 years of independence? Is it the culture of rural or urban Africa?

The culture we want, no that we need, is the culture that solves the problems we have today. Culture must dynamically respond to the exigencies of the current era. Pride in your culture should center on how that culture works for you in the present time; it is about how adaptable it is to changed circumstances. It is definitely not about ignoring the ways in which it is proving dysfunctional in the current environment we face.

Remember that rich countries such as the USA, UK, Japan used to be poor too. But they changed and they are rich now. We should (change) too. We need to be careful though that when we try to discern those aspects of their culture worth emulating, we do pick the right cultural traits from the right era. One can convincingly argue that modern America has strayed from the cultural roots that allowed it to become the greatest economic power ever known. A society built on maximum consumption and easy credit is not exactly the role model we should look to.

Our colonial past led to a situation where paternalistic rule run rampant; that even more than the resources plundered by the invaders was the costly heritage bequeathed to us. Back in those days the “parents” actually had to report back to their bosses in the home country. With independence our “new parents” or local elites didn’t have to report back to anybody and without the necessary checks found out that they would get away with anything and everything. Guess what happened? They did. The acts of commission and omission by the political class has seeped into the fabric of society and resulted in a bastardized value system today that does not meet the goal we have of transforming the entire nation economically. Nobody can say with a straight face that the culture we see today in Ghana or any other African country has been so successful in terms of societal development that it should be put on a pedestal.

Our culture can and should be changed. It is eye opening to look at the success of African immigrants in the US and UK. If these individuals can achieve so much so many miles away from their roots, why can they not do the same in their ancestral homelands. Immigrants embody the culture of their country of origin but given the different rules of the road when it comes to their new society, they are savvy enough to conform and adopt those cultural memes that will allow them to be successful in their new home. In other words they adapt their culture. If the political and economic systems in the home country sent them similar incentives, they would obviously find it useful to change their behavior.

Some will chime up that there are other reasons for why we are still to reach our potential; and, yes there is some truth to that. Geography plays a role; so too does the lack of capital, good governance, patriotic leadership and human capital among other causative factors. But each of these constraints can be overcome if society deems it necessary to do so. Malaysia enjoys a similar climate to Ghana, don’t they. Nigeria has gotten umpteen billions from oil, no? What about all the NGO aid over the years spent on building human capacity in Africa? How can you stamp out corruption if society does not care how you get your money? Without addressing the core issue of what kind of societal values we think are important, efforts that focus on addressing these other constraints to development will not be sufficient to transform the society.

This is not about making Africans into something we are not. Japan is the second biggest economy in the world. The foundation for their rise can be found in the Meiji era in which Japanese society decided to consciously break away from their feudalistic past which was seen as not being able to compete with Western countries. In spite of the over 100 years of the adaption of Japanese society to prosper in this global world order, Japan still has one of the most distinct cultures on this globe and the Japanese understand where and when to adapt their cultural behavior and where and when not to. We should be similarly smart about picking our spots when it comes to modifying our values.

A conversation on cultural matters is one that every African should have, individually and in groups. It is a conversation that can be turbocharged by the right kind of leadership given the unique role politics can play in transforming culture. What Africa needs is visionary leadership and a heightened level of consciousness among those following such leaders.

Afromatics III will examine the kind of political economy in Africa that can act as a catalyst for societal wide renewal;  Africans deserve those cultural norms that underpin the good life.

It is a depressing experience facing the negativity brigade. I have been there and usually come across two types of individuals–actually, I do face other irksome types, but in my current forward facing mindset, I will not bring up “Haters” and other assorted nattering nabobs of negativism–in conversations with my fellow Africans.

The first type (cue the Apathy label) cannot be bothered to actually dig into the issues of development. They look at Africa (past, present and future) and all they see is trouble and the impossibility of improvement. They don’t see a way out of our current morass and keep on pointing out the history of our failures. Why bother when there are more pressing needs they personally face? The more religious then tend to mutter some fatalistic mumbo-jumbo about enduring what life is throwing at you. Really? If you take a look at the correlation between belief in God and economic success among nations, you are forced to the inescapable conclusion that the less we bring religion into our discourses on development, the more likely we are to get somewhere.

The other archetype (cue the Cynic label) revels in the poor track record of development efforts in Africa. To them it confirms what they consider to be obvious; Africa is destined to be poor and to be a laggard. This from fellow Africans! No matter how much we try, we are doomed to fail. They bolster their position by throwing out facts, theories and statistics that embody the awfulness of Africa’s current position and support their viewpoint that the poverty of most Africans (themselves excluded of course) is immutable. Underlying their nicely strung together analysis is an unspoken but ever present premise that we do not have it in us to materially change our conditions for the better. Guess what, if those views had held sway way back in the 20th century, would we have been able to throw off the colonial yoke? You’ve got to believe that life will be better and then go out and make it happen. Otherwise, you will never get out of bed (metaphorically speaking).

What we need is a proactive and positive approach towards African development. I am going to start by stressing how easy it is for majority of Africans to be wealthy. Once we understand how doable it is to get the majority of our citizens out of poverty, the conversations we typically have will be more productive. Ultimately, success will depend on having the right perspective and a desire to be successful irrespective of what sacred beliefs are gored.

Now, I will be the first to recognize the immensity of the task at hand and the dire straits in which most of the denizens of the Motherland find themselves in. All sort of indices make clear the level of poverty in Africa. I am going to use my country of birth, Ghana, as the prime vehicle for expanding on my thoughts. However, before I go further, let me knock down the usual argument that Ghana is relatively better when compared to other African countries. That sort of mindset will ensure that Ghanaians remain poor. Lowered expectations mean lowered results and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Let us start throwing out the fuel of any useful fire (sorry, I mean debate): statistics. When we compare per capita GDP (calculated using Purchasing Power Parity (PPP)), our inadequacies become painfully exposed. Ghana’s is at $1,400, Malaysia’s is at $14,500, Chile’s is at $14,300 and Denmark’s is at $37,200. We can also look at the percentage of people in poverty which explicitly shows how the benefits of development are distributed (or not). Ghana has 31.4% of its citizens living in poverty which unfavorably compares with Thailand (10%), Jamaica (14.8%) or Austria (5.9%). Finally, the use of the Gini coefficient index to estimate income inequality is an eye opening exercise. While countries such as Belgium (28), Norway (28) lead in terms of ensuring the spoils of a society are more evenly spread across the entire populace, countries such as Ghana (39.4) and Nigeria (43.7) illustrate the skewing of income towards a few.

Numbers alone don’t tell the tale. If you have traveled to or lived in more affluent societies, the level of poverty in Ghana is viscerally shocking. Of course in our global village, even those poor individuals without the wherewithal to physically travel to affluent societies can still see what they are missing. Within a hour of leaving Kotaka International Airport, you can be in midst of absolute squalor in either an urban or rural setting. Sanitation conditions are deplorable with open sewers swimming with scum. In Accra, the air quality and “go-slow” traffic makes each day a pollution heavy endurance test The State does not seem to be able to adequately provide protection from criminals which makes us willingly imprison ourselves in our own homes. You are on your own for the basic necessity of water and electricity power provision is pretty much a hit or miss affair. Out in the countryside, health facilities are grossly inadequate and you are not guaranteed to be able to make it to your ancestral village in the rainy season when roads seem to melt away. It is painful to see this and know that somewhere in this world, just a few hours by plane, even dogs are enjoying better conditions in terms of shelter, food and health services than the majority of citizens in Ghana. No wonder Ghanaians will risk their lives in the journey to the so-called Land of Milk and Honey.

Let me reaffirm my fundamental belief about the current situation in Ghana and elsewhere in Africa. At this juncture in our history, in this 21st century, there is no need for us to live in this fashion. We do not need to be so poor. Putting dogma aside and critically examining our circumstances can yield some useful discernment as to the course of action that offers the best chance for prosperity.

The axiomatic insight needed is a definition of what it is we are trying to accomplish when we talk about developing Ghana. In my book, we should aim to increase per capita income to a level that ensures that people in Ghana are enjoying a materially improved life. Just as importantly, we want a more even distribution of wealth so that the benefits of higher incomes do not accrue to just a few. Net-net, our success in turning around Ghana will be measured in two ways: a) a reduction in the number of Ghanaians in poverty; and b) an increase in the income level that marks the poverty threshold. If you consider a $750 yearly income level (per person) to be your poverty level, you obviously have a ways to go before catching up with a country that considers $10,000 to be the relevant poverty threshold.

Clarity of purpose gives me grounds for optimism. Lets take our first goal: increasing per capita incomes. If we can boost our growth rates a tad above what we are doing today, that magic elixir called compounding will put us on Happy Street. It is the same principle used when you put away a little bit of money for your retirement or children’s education. Over a 20 or 30 year period those small sums turn into real cash. By the same token it is entirely conceivable for Ghana to transform itself in a 20 or 25 year period. We may not become richer than the US but we will be so much better off that we will feel richer than those we used to look at longingly.

This phenomenon is behind what I call the Afromatics Relativity Theory Of Income: it is not your absolute income level that makes you feel rich or poor; it is the difference between your income today and your income in the past that has the strongest impact on your sense of well-being .

Starting with Ghana’s per capita income of $1400 today (2008) and achieving a real per capita growth rate of 10% over 25 years, Ghanaians in 2033 will enjoy current Malaysia-like living standards. That $1,400 will turn into approximately $15,000. Today, real growth rates hover in the 3% – 4% range per year. We need to triple it which can done by both increasing economic growth rates and reducing population growth rates. All this is extremely doable, trust me. For an economy the size of Ghana, boosting growth rates is actually easier to do when compared to mature economies such as the OECD economies.

A $15,000 per capita income level means a society that has the resources to host the Olympics. In other words, we would have arrived. Amazingly, all of this would have been accomplished in one generation (25 years). Think about it: if you had a child today, by the time he or she got out in the world and started fending for him or herself, Ghana would no longer be one of the basket cases attracting headlines for all the wrong reasons. Would your child want to vote with his or her feet and migrate to a foreign land? Methinks not; and you (in all your wisdom) will be seen as part of the generation that brought about fundamental material change in Ghana. Wouldn’t that be something!

Our other major goal is that of a more egalitarian society which can be measured by my favorite obscure index: the Gini coefficient index. Getting that index from 40 where we are today to 30 or lower means success in my book. The countries widely considered to be doing well in this respect typically have coefficients in the 20s range. This is also eminently doable if we ensure that the rural population who make up the bulk of the population in Ghana enjoy the fruits of the increased economic growth we are aiming for.

If we are really serious about improving conditions for the majority of Ghanaian citizens, we must be absolutely clear what our goals are. The most critical step in a multi-year development effort is a crystal clear picture of what success would look like. We have to know when we arrive at our destination.

Here is my take on what Ghana will look like when we make it: when we increase our real per capita growth rate (by 10% or greater every year), and when we do so in the right way (making sure the rural residents enjoy the benefits of economic growth), most citizens of Ghana will definitely live better lives in the not so distant future. They will be healthier and better educated, will not go to bed hungry, will be better educated and will be able to enjoy improved leisure and entertainment options in a much more safer environment. These are goals we can believe in!

But I can see the questions trembling on your lips; yes, all this is good but how do we really increase those growth rates and ensure the wealth is spread around. Where are the revelations that will insure we meet these goals. Don’t worry, be assured that the future articles in the Afromatics series will turn to the heavy lifting of how to effect the meaningful change required for success in the Ghana project. But don’t expect silver bullets though, because when it comes to societal wide development, these don’t exist. What you will get is a commonsensical approach towards broad based development that is firmly grounded on first principles.

To be continued…

As an avid soccer fan, I have always loved the use of the term “Project” when players and managers bloviate on the current incarnation of some famous FC (i.e., football club). It is much more impressive to have stars such as Didier Drogba proclaim their unyielding commitment to the project started by his new coach, Scolari. Very workmanlike!

So, why is it necessary for Nigeria to be great? Let me answer this from the point of view of a fellow African (Ghanaian). The answer may surprise you!

When Africans, including Ghanaians, dwell on Nigeria’s prospects, there is usually agreement on the need for Nigerian greatness. The oft cited reasons for such boosterism are as follows.

There are a lot of Nigerians! They dominate the African population charts. In fact, they make up a large percentage of the total black population worldwide. Going by the numbers then, in order for Africans and Africa to prosper, we need Nigerians to make good.

The other reason why Africans, especially those close geographically to Nigeria, fervently wish for prosperity and peace in Gide is the hope that Nigerians will be happy enough with their homeland and stay home. Given the numbers involved and the perceptions of the baggage that accompany Nigerian sojourners, most neighbors of Nigeria are uneasy at the thought of increased refugee flows across their borders.

Now it is all good and proper to militantly shout that Nigeria must prosper for Africa to prosper in order to Africa to progress. Such sloganeering has a nice idealistic ring to it and tickles my pan-African fancy. But then I sober up and a somewhat subversive feeling wells up in me. If Nigeria cannot find the will or ability to do the right thing by its own citizens, why should one dream or expect it to do the right thing by folks outside of its borders? As the saying goes, charity begins at home.

As for the politically incorrect feelings of wishing Nigeria and Nigerians stay home, one should never underestimate the instinct of self-preservation. When people feel swamped, they are apt to give into xenophobic feelings and there are no shortage of political leaders across the continent who see tapping into such ugly feelings as a surefire way to boost their careers. It is vitally important to manage inter-country flows of people so that we don’t get to the point where demagogues can find fertile ground for mischief. Again, you can dine with your neighbor but you will surely want to save your love for your own family.

To me the more positive reason for wishing success for Nigeria runs along less well traveled tracks. Nigeria is big in many respects: geographically, demographically, problematically etc. But what Nigeria has lacked to date is a big narrative or mythology that can be used to power the country forward in a united way. I believe fervently that such a “storyline” is essential in uniting the country together towards common goals and to achieve true broad-based development that significantly improves the lives of all citizens.

Given the intractability of the problems facing Nigeria, if it does manage to pull this project off, think about the inspiration it will provide to other African countries! Think about the possibilities for offering a proven mode of development for other African countries that is realistically grounded in the peculiarities of life in Mother Africa. That is why Nigeria must succeed in its own way and using its own vernacular. Success by “Big Brother” will illustrate the kind of mythology that should be kept in mind by other African countries who are looking to succeed too at the project of national development. Big country, big problems and now big results! That is what we need to invalidate the excuses offered by apologists trying to explain why so many years after independence, we are yet to see Africa taking care of Africans.

Net-net, if Gide can do it, then so can we and so shall we.