QUOTE:‘Despite, the relative brevity of his stay in Africa, (he spent less than 24 hours); his message to Africa and African leaders in particular was clear, sharp and no-nonsense. What he told them Africa needed was not strongmen but strong institutions, in particular democratic institutions that can effectively safeguard the rule of law and the democratic wishes of the African people and for leaders to be elected in free, fair and honest elections and not foisted on the people against their will.’

United States President Barack Obama created quite a stir when he paid a recent visit to Africa, which can be regarded as his ancestral home.

Born to a Kenyan father, and rising to the position of the first Afro-American President of the United States of America, Obama will certainly go down as an extraordinary figure in contemporary politics.

Expectedly, his visit to Africa generated world attention, and received media coverage that surpassed that of any other US President. The reasons for that are not too difficult to comprehend. Apart from the fact that it is the first time an Afro-American with African roots had paid a visit to the African continent, the visit was more significant for its diplomatic and political message to African leaders, many of whom must have felt a tinge of embarrassment after having been given a ‘lecture’ on the virtues of good governance, adherence to democratic norms and a corrupt-free society.

At the diplomatic level, the fact that Obama chose to go to Ghana instead of Kenya, where his father was born and bred, is in itself significant and must be a source of some disappointment to the vast majority of Kenyans who felt proud that a son of their soil has been elevated to the highest elected office of one of the most powerful countries of the world, the United States of America.

On the other hand, there is also a sense of collective shame on the part of the ruling elite who must have felt a sense of alienation that the country has been bypassed if not snubbed for its political immaturity and refusal on the part of the governing elite to play by the rules of multi-party democracy.

Despite, the relative brevity of his stay in Africa, (he spent less than 24 hours); his message to Africa and African leaders in particular was clear, sharp and no-nonsense. What he told them Africa needed was not strongmen but strong institutions, in particular democratic institutions that can effectively safeguard the rule of law and the democratic wishes of the African people and for leaders to be elected in free, fair and honest elections and not foisted on the people against their will.

President Obama could not have been more forthright in his condemnation of African leaders who refused to concede power even when it became crystal clear that their services were no longer required. Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe stubbornly refused to concede defeat in parliamentary and presidential elections and reluctantly agreed to a power sharing deal with his political rival only after intense pressure from the international community and from opposition forces within his own country.

The same can be said of Obama’s African home, Kenya, where the head of the Government-appointed Elections Commission admitted that he was unsure whether the ruling party headed by Kibaka actually won the elections!

In the West African country of Niger, Mamadou Tandja publicly destroyed the country’s rule book in a brazen display of political arrogance. Even though he refrained from calling names, he directed his message to those in Africa who sought and obtained political power by undemocratic means.

“Make no mistake: history and time is on the side of these brave Africans and not with those who use coups or change constitutions to stay in power. Africa doesn’t need strongmen, it needs strong institutions.” These are indeed strong statements coming from someone who is regarded as a friend of Africa and therefore free from the stigma of western political baggage.

It is true that Africa had suffered its fair share of underdevelopment by the colonizing powers which have been documented in several scholarly publications including Walter Rodney’s “How Europe Underdeveloped Africa” which showed how African states were virtually raped of their precious resources by the metropolitan powers. But, as President Obama correctly observed, African leaders cannot continue to lay the blame for the current crisis on their historical past but instead should strive to take control of their own destiny.

Obama called on young people in particular to become change agents. He encouraged the younger generation to catch the “Yes we can” fever which propelled his own rise to the White House. He emphasized the need for people to hold their governments accountable especially in the context of rising poverty levels made worse by alarming levels of HIV/Aids which has now become the major cause of death especially among the younger generation.

The potential for Africa to lift itself out of poverty is enormous, given the vast natural resources, in particular mineral resources with which the country is endowed. Such riches however needed to be carefully and sensibly exploited in a manner that makes for sustainable development. In other words, the resources of the region must not be squandered away by way of corrupt transactions, patrimonial politics and exploitation of ethnic differences instead of consensus building measures to harness the full potential of the African people to promote growth and development.

One hopes that the message of Obama would have a resonating effect on Africa and for that matter the whole of the developing world.