Join hot discussion why africa should still depend on foreign aids?

Why should some of the African countries still depend on foreign aid for development? Africa must have its freedom.


Africa Must Have Its Freedom

For centuries, Europeans dominated the African continent. The white man arrogated to
himself the right to rule and to be obeyed by the British. His mission, he claimed, was to
“civilise” Africa. Under this chaos, the Europeans robbed the continent of vast riches and inflicted
unimaginable suffering on the African people.
All this makes a sad story, but now we must be prepared to bury the past with its unpleasant
memories and look to the future. All we ask of the former colonial powers is their goodwill and co
operation to remedy past mistakes and injustices, and to grant independence to the colonies in
Africa.

It is clear that we must find an African solution to our problems, and that this can only be
found in African unity. Divided, we are weak; united, Africa could become one of the greatest forces
for good in the world.
Although most Africans are poor, our continent has the potential to be extremely rich. Our mineral
resources, which are being exploited with foreign capital only to enrich foreign investors, range
from gold and diamonds to uranium and petroleum. Our forests contain some of the finest woods to
be grown anywhere. Our cash crops include cocoa, coffee, rubber, tobacco and cotton. As for
power, which is an important factor in any economic development, Africa contains over 40% of the
potential water power of the world, as compared with about 10% in Europe and 13% in North
America. Yet so far, less than 1% has been developed.

This is one of the reasons why we have in Africa, the paradox of poverty in the midst of plenty, and scarcity in the midst of abundance. Never before have people had within their grasp so great an opportunity for developing a continent endowed with so much wealth. Individually, the independent states of Africa, some of them potentially rich, others poor, can do little for their people. Together, by mutual help, they can
achieve much. But the economic development of the continent must be planned and pursued as a
whole.

A loose confederation designed only for economic co-operation would not provide the
necessary unity of purpose. Only a strong political union can bring about full and effective
development of our natural resources for the benefit of our people.

The political situation in Africa today is heartening and at the same time disturbing. It is
heartening to see so many new flags hoisted in place of the old; it is disturbing to see so many
countries of varying sizes and at different levels of development, weak and, in some cases, almost
helpless. If this terrible state of fragmentation is allowed to continue, it may well be disastrous for us
all.

There are at present some 28 states in Africa, excluding the Union of South Africa, and
those countries not yet free. No less than nine of these states have a population of less than three
million. Can we seriously believe that the colonial powers meant these countries to be independent,
viable states? The example of South America, which has as much wealth, if not more than North
America, and yet remains weak and dependent on outside interests, is one that every African
would do well to study. Critics of African unity often refer to the wide differences in culture, language and ideas in various parts of Africa. This is true, but the essential fact remains that we are all Africans and have
a common interest in the independence of Africa.

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