George Ayittey
Born in 1945, Professor George Ayittey is a Ghanaian economist, author and president of the Free Africa Foundation, which is based in Washington DC, USA. As an academic, he has taught at many institutions, and he is currently based at the American University.
Ayittey graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Ghana. He holds a Master of Arts degree from the University of Western Ontario and a PhD in Economics from the University of Manitoba.
Dr. Ayittey is, perhaps, better known for his international activism than for his academic work. He has long argued that “Africa is poor because she is not free” - a message that he has championed through his speaking engagements and through the work of the Free Africa Foundation, which he founded in 1992. Ayittey has appeared on numerous international media and lectured at conferences across the United States, Europe and Africa. In 2007, he spoke at Global TED Conference in Arusha, Tanzania, where he described the emergence of a new “Cheetah Generation” of Africans who are “taking their futures into their own hands, instead of waiting for politicians to empower them.” In contrast, he referred to current and previous African elites and rulers as the “Hippo Generation” who “are lazily stuck complaining about colonialism, yet doing nothing to change the status quo.” (see video of Ayittey speaking at TED below).
Ayitteh argues that the primary cause of African poverty is not the oppression and mismanagement by colonial powers, as many have claimed. Rather, he argues, Africa has suffered mostly because of the actions of post-colonial rulers “who have sucked the economic vitality out of the people.”
What sets Ayittey apart as an African intellectual and activist has been his willingness to move beyond talking about what is wrong with Africa. He has not shied away from advocating specific remedies – specifically calling for debt forgiveness, democratic governance, modern infrastructure and free market economics. He has also called for the involvement of Africans in coming up with African solutions to African problems – embracing indigenous traditions and economic systems as uniquely suited to Africa’s challenges.
In 2008 Dr. Ayittey was listed by Foreign Policy as one of the “Top 100 Public Intellectuals” who “are shaping the tenor of our time”. His book, Africa Betrayed, won the H.L. Mencken Award for Best Book.
Ayittey is currently working on his next book, Defeating Dictators, expected to come out in November 2011.
Sources: Free Foundation Website, Wikipedia, Others
Selected Books by George Ayittey
- Defeating Dictators (2011)
- Indigenous African Institutions (2006)
- Africa Unchained: The Blueprint for Africa’s Future
(2004)
- Africa in Chaos: A Comparative History
(1998)
- Africa Betrayed
(1992)
About Daniel Musiitwa
Why Africa?
Why poverty, violence, instability, civil wars, famine, etc. be sign of Africa and its peoples?
-First and formost, I think it is a matter of time mis-match with currently prevailing World Order: Where currently ”developed nations” were ”like” Africa-today- probably before two or three centureis Africa is now like ‘western’ countries before two or so centuries.
-Two, the phases of development in Africa had began before colonisation and it was discontinued (until now), and mulfunctioned by different factors: war, frontiers, slavery, etc.
-Third, after ‘independence’ states formed are simulated and that did not follow the spirits of peoples concerned. Even so, formed states choosed to follow the pathes of their colonizers rather than looking at their traditional values and in doing so they have played great role in resulting social and moral crises, for black peoples could not foster their own values, traditions and systems, forsake their values wait the whites as thier saviour, taught at school — biology and chemistry leaving beside his grand fathers knowledge of plants, medicine, governance … multiplying thier traditional governace by zero where it is reach with principles that promotes a country, etc.
-Four, the gap between a state and substantial number of peoples is huge, government is on one planet and peoples on the other moving on thier orbits parallel to each other and governmnt stand as a body that knows best for its peoples and peoples as seekers than providers.
-Five, it seems, most African leaders are not ready or able to promote peace, rule of law, democracy but determined to boast tyranny, dictatership; where people die out of starvation leaders still continue to hold the office with out change and which questions that what is the need for existence of a state after all?
-Six, still the independence of African ‘states’ are nominal as far as the influence of developed nations economically, politically and strategically exist and leaders are open to such policies for their personal or ethnic interests than people in general.
-Seven, the tradition of work, innovation, literacy accompanied with international commerce is a potential assignment that each ‘states’ needs to work on relentlessly.
-Eight, population increase has a tragic effect on development and states needs to limit the population growth, to balance the ‘growing’ or existing resources with consumers- arguably however, population by itself is not bad.
-Nine, it is disappointing to see Africa still USE traditional farming instrument in 21st century where it had been used in era of mesopotamian civilization. In this line stae subsidised farming machineries, seeds, etc needs to be provided to farmers, associations … to selected areas that can yeald production and that can even feed leave alone a single country but also could yeild production to expeort to other states.
-Ten, industralisation and development in technology require states to limit thier involvement in productions and services like: telecom., electric., medicine, etc and increase competioin among private corporations, increases revenue for the states and must balance the gap between rich and poor. This could be done that state can classify a state in to regions and corporations will comptete in healthy manner so that state, customers and country will be promoted.
IF NOT, I think, Africa will remain a continent of sorrow, dispair, and agony for most if not all.
Thanks,