Thursday, March 28, 2024

Why Africa needs ‘cheetahs,’ not ‘hippos’ ( in Leadership)

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By George Ayittey, Special to CNN
CNN Editor’s note: George Ayittey is a Ghanaian economist and the author of several books on Africa, including “Africa Unchained” and the forthcoming “Defeating Dictators in Africa and Around The World.” In 2008, Ayittey was listed by Foreign Policy magazine as one of the “Top 100 Public Intellectuals” of our time. He writes for Africa 50, CNN’s special coverage looking at 17 African nations marking 50 years of independence this year.

(CNN) — Currently, Africa — a continent immensely rich with mineral resources and yet mired in poverty — suffers from a catastrophic leadership failure or monumental deficit of leadership.

Since 1960, there have been 210 African heads of state, but just try to find 10 — just 10 — good ones among them. Names like Mandela, Nkrumah, Nyerere easily come to mind but then rapidly fall off.

But there is hope in what I call the “Cheetah Generation.”

The Cheetah Generation refers to the new and angry generation of young African graduates and professionals, who look at African issues and problems from a totally different and unique perspective.

They are dynamic, intellectually agile, and pragmatic. They may be the “restless generation” but they are Africa’s new hope. They brook no nonsense about corruption, inefficiency, ineptitude, incompetence, or buffoonery.

They understand and stress transparency, accountability, human rights, and good governance. They also know that many of their current leaders are hopelessly corrupt and that their governments are contumaciously dysfunctional and commit flagitious human rights violations.

The Cheetahs do not look for excuses for government failure by wailing over the legacies of the slave trade, Western colonialism, imperialism, the World Bank or an unjust international economic system.

To the Cheetahs, this “colonialism-imperialism” paradigm, in which every African problem is analyzed, is obsolete and kaput. Unencumbered by the old shibboleths, Cheetahs can analyze issues with remarkable clarity and objectivity.

The outlook and perspectives of the Cheetahs are refreshingly different from those of many African leaders, intellectuals, or elites, whose mental faculties are so foggy and their reasoning or logic so befuddled that they cannot distinguish between right and wrong. They blame everybody else for Africa’s problems except themselves.

This is the “Hippo Generation,” intellectually astigmatic and stuck in their muddy colonialist pedagogical patch. They can see with eagle-eyed clarity the injustices perpetrated by whites against blacks, but they are hopelessly blind to the more heinous injustices they perpetrate against their own black people.

The Hippos are of the 1960s-era mentality — stodgy, pudgy, and wedded to the old “colonialism-imperialism” paradigm with an abiding faith in the potency of the state.

They lack vision — hippos are near-sighted — and sit tight in their air-conditioned government offices, comfortable in their belief that the state can solve all of Africa’s problems. All the state needs is more power and more foreign aid. And they would ferociously defend their territory since that is what provides them with their wealth. (Hippos kill more people in Africa than any other animal.)

They care less if the whole country collapses around them, but are content as long as their pond is secure.

The Cheetahs are not so intellectually astigmatic. Whereas the Hippos constantly see problems, the Cheetahs see business opportunities. The Cheetah generation has no qualms about getting their hands “dirty.” Africa’s salvation rests on the back of the Cheetah generation.

I have identified several Cheetahs — both men and women — in many African countries: Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Togo, Zambia and even Somalia.

They are operating in many fields: agriculture, informal sector, IT technology, manufacturing and even in government.

But now is not the time for the Cheetahs to take over. They will be ripped up by the ornery and nasty Hippos. Rather, they should build up on their skills, strength and accumulate knowledge and wealth — in the private sector — while methodically draining the swamp of the Hippos.

Soon, they will find themselves “homeless” and then the Cheetahs can take over.

[CNN]

10 COMMENTS

  1. Wow, I love what most of this person is selling. His description of the Hippo is exactly what we see in leadership today. Very retrogressive and blind to the suffering of citizens and threatened by anyone possessing the the capacity to lead better. I disagree with his second last paragraph because there certainly should be no need to wait. Rather, those with the skill set and understanding to contribute to the development of Zambia and eradication of loop holes for the corrupt minded should be voicing their opinions louder than ever. It is not a the young vs the old competition, rather it is about transparency, honesty, accountability, democracy etc.

  2. SATA HAS REALLY PUT YOU IN PANIC. YOU ARE GOING TO RETRIEVE ALL THE STORIES WHICH PUT SATA IN A NEGATIVE POSITION. BUT, YOU ARE BOUND TO FAIL. THE SAID GHANAIAN WRITER KNOWS WHAT HE TALKS ABOUT. BUT, YOU CHAPS WHO JUST COPY AND PASTE DON’T KNOW ANYTHING AT ALL. EVEN THESE STORIES YOU PASTE CONTRADICT YOURSELVES AND YOUR SPONSORS. ANYWAY, I WISH YOU LUCKY IN PUTTING SATA DOWN.

  3. peter what a real Hippo you. this article does not mention sata at ALL!!! This is really an example of an inferiority complex because you know that Sata is the biggest hippo

  4. Based on the Zambian senerio the Hippos refered to in this article are Satas and Rupia Bandas. The Cheetahs are the HH, Milupi and Chipimos. This article accurately describes each group and there is no need for further comments.

  5. Zed Patriot you are right. Thats exactly what am thinking about. Never mind about #3 Peter, he is so shallow minded. Chi colour cha wish

  6. #2 Abena CB: “It is not a the young vs the old competition, rather it is about transparency, honesty, accountability, democracy etc.”
    It is sure is! Imagine Zambia without those corrupt and inefficient leaders we have? They have defeated the Chibombamilimo of this world and all young Zedians. We do not definately need to spare these old fools. I saw Chizyuka nealing down at fat mputi RB, and of course asking for a Job at the expense of HH! Common young people, we can only respect elders if they are doing good things for the new generation!!!!

  7. There is no mention of Sata to which some people are reacting. Reminds me of a story in today Post of Kavindele reacting to a book he has not even read! Its a typical complex of hippos.

  8. George Ayiteyi’
    I was scurrying around for International news items for our weekly; The Movement Times – Kampala. At the CNN I spotted you – we are rolling tonight so our paging is-up… I couldn’t even extract your wild cheeter runaway piece… boy you are a fast one I hope you are apractical because cheeter really run.
    I am not sure you are in-it in as far as your ranting is concerned, I daubt that beyond the discriptions of the cheeter generation – if at all you might stop to gather some reality – that the cheeters already show bad signs of pre-mature decline – you might sprint, but you might not last.
    Practical question: a month after AU Summit in Kampala, no additional peace keeping troops have arrived in Somalia – and young cheeta writers are not analyzing this, but blaming the…

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