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Many an African leader has a modest dwelling or two in the nicer neighborhoods of Paris, the city of lights and other delicacies.
Teodora Obiang Nguema Mbasogo has been president of Equatorial Guinea since 1979. He is also one of the wealthiest heads of state in the world. He gets elected again and again with some 96 per cent of the vote.
Ali Bongo has been president of Gabon since 2009. He inherited his position after rigged elections from his father El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba, himself president of Gabon from 1967 until his demise in 2009.
Denis Sassou Nguesso has been president of Congo-Brazaville since 1997, and was previously president from 1979 to 1992. In 1992 he lost the first and, so far, only democratic elections in his country. The good and pure democrat he always was, he overthrew this government and returned to power. Since then he always gets “re-elected” unopposed.
Apart from them being heads of state of African countries, these men have a few other things in common. They all feel at ease in the cultural bubble of upper class Europe.
They also are all extremely wealthy while the rest of their people live in abject poverty.
None of them can be considered elected in a true democratic manner. At this point let me ask, why is it that African leaders are so corrupt? Most especially the political leaders.
The News Hunter Magazine approached Mr. Francis Owusu-Ansah the Manager of Sunyani base radio station, Storm FM in the Brong Ahafo region of Ghana for his views on the above question.
He told NH Mag ”Among the richest in the US is Bill Gates. He created Microsoft and has something to show for his wealth.
The richest in Africa are heads of state and ministers. What do they have to show for their wealth? Nothing. How did they make their money? By raking it off the backs of their suffering people. That is not wealth creation but redistribution.
Quite often, the chief bandit is the head of state himself! There is nothing wrong with wanting to be rich but go into the private sector, create something and make your fortune that way.
To develop, Africa needs to create wealth through entrepreneurship – not wealth secured through brigandage, bribery or corruption.”
BY: Kofi Oppong Kyekeyku (KOK)
