Development is not westernisation, African nations advised

Participants in the first annual conference of the Faculty of Social Science on the theme, “Africa in Sustainable Development Discourse and Practice”, held recently at the Modupe and Folorunso Alakija Faculty of Law Building of Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo, told African nations to stop equating development with Westernisation but anchor development pursuit in their culture.

In over fifty papers spanning various subthemes presented at the conference, participants advised African nations to chart development path within their cultural norms and indigenous capacity for sustainability.

In the two lead papers by Professor Eghosa Osaghae, Director-General, Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Lagos and Professor R. A. Bello of the Department of Economics, University of Ilorin, they argued that Africa has largely been held down by the conception of development as westernisation.

In his opening address, the Dean of the Faculty of Social Science, Professor William Ehwarieme, stated that Africa has largely practiced ‘cut and paste’ development. It is not surprising, he argued, that after over 60 years the first television station in Africa was established in Nigeria, neither television sets nor parts are produced in the country.

The participants stated that development will remain elusive to Africa so long as it does not have Africa’s cultural drivers.

“In the application of the concept of sustainable development for outlining development goals, there is the tendency of international organisations such as the United Nations Organisation and its numerous branches to presume that Africa, like the affluent countries of the world, is currently in need of sustaining her development peak whereas nothing could be further from the truth.

“Whereas, the sustainable development discourse equally holds Africa responsible for the over exploitation of natural
resources for world development and civilization, Africa occupies the fringes of exploitation and utilisation of world resources including those domiciled in her soil.

“The unfortunate experience of slavery and then colonisation suffered by the
African continent in quick succession, which pillaged her population and natural resources for centuries, has continued under neocolonialism and a rudderless political leadership.

“So, development, a desire of all peoples, remains elusive to Africa because of self-serving political leadership. Africa urgently needs a political class that is willing to identify with the aspirations of her people by defining development goals based on their needs.

“It is also important for the political class to support African people to develop the capacity for implementing development goals (they conceived) and addressing development challenges confronting them.

“The political class continues to be rent-seeking for its own aggrandisement to the detriment of the well-being of African people.

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“It has colluded with foreign interests to perpetuate the exploitation of African people. This is why it has not been a catalyst for Africa’s development by supporting the university to produce the technical and managerial capacity for freeing Africa from underdeveloping outward orientation to development through Import-substitution industrialisation, structural adjustment programme and direct foreign investment.

“In the circumstances of a short-sighted political class that is also an unwilling partner and leader in Africa’s quest for development, the

“University must rise to the occasion by being extraordinarily creative in providing needed leadership for developing science and technical know-how crucial to the exploitation of Africa’s abundant natural resources for developing infrastructure to support private sector-driven development of Africa,” they held.

The conference noted that despite multiple paths to development Africa has failed to use her culture to drive development, producing partial modernisation, which has done more to complicate than simplify, and distort than enhance the well-being of African people.

“Democratic practice in Africa is more in breach of its principles of political equality and participation. Hence, democratic rule is unaccountable as it is not transparent. In Africa, democracy has been converted to a political commodity that politicians can purchase from the electorate for serving the interest of political elites and their cohorts in the private sector rather than public good.

“Hence, just nine years away from 2030 target year, Africa is far from for achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDG),” they added.