This weekend, around 70 heads of states meet in Addis Ababa for the celebration of the African Union. But I personally believe that after 50 years of the African Union and Independences, we don’t really have much to celebrate.

African leaders have often been corrupt, selfish, and thus badly govern. African leaders often didn’t care about their nation’s economy, instead empowering and enriching themselves. Tribal loyalties have too often been stronger than our sense of common nationhood

The kind of coups which happened in many places in Africa, as the interethnic peace was difficult to maintain after independence and the lack of sense of common nationhood sank African into wars and poverty.

Notwithstanding their rich cocoa plantations gold mines and high Volta dam, which could generate enormous amounts of power, Ghana’s economy sank into disrepair and has not recovered the early promise it held out at independence. This is one example but it’s the case of most African countries. Continue reading →