WHY is Africa underdeveloped? This was the puzzle some youths from Africa attempted to unravel in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania's commercial nerve centre last week. The youths from four African countries gathered to disscuss the contient's challenges at the 2015 Liberty and Entrepreneurship Camp held at Tanzania Catholic Bishop Conference Centre from November 22 to 25.
Organised by the Language of Liberty Institute (LLI) in the United States, in collaboration with African Liberty Organisation for Development (ALOD) in Nigeria, more than 40 young entrepreneurs and students from Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda were in attendance.
The participants linked the continent's woes to unproductive political beliefs and its leaders' penchant to control trade. These, they said, have reduced the ability of the young to innovate and create values that could take Africa out of the woods.
A "strong government", they argued, has been hindering the continent's economic and physical development. They said if an enabling environment is not created for the young to hone their entrepreneurial skills, Africa would continue to be dependent on the developed world.
How can Africa tackle poverty? How can its leaders solve the continent's problem internally? What are the youths roles in making Africa the hub of innovation to enable it go higher on the world's development index?
These are some of the questions the participants sought answers to at the event with the theme: Fundamentals for prosperous African society.
Profferring solutions to the economic and development crises, speaker called for promotion of free trade and creation of a platform for youth innovation and entrepreneurship.
To ALOD Executive Director, Mr Adedayo Thomas, Africa remains the reference point for poverty and underdevelopment, because of its leaders' inability to encourage a free market system to engender value creation and innovation. He said socialism and communism had proved to be retrogressive political ideologies for Africa, adding that they had left the continent poorer, despite abundance in human and material resources.
He lamented the rigid trade cooperation among countries in Africa, saying that would not help the continent to achieve economic prosperity. The countries, he said, must encourage cross-border movement of goods and relax visa rules. Thomas said there was no need for strict border laws, stressing that the continent would achieve unreversed prosperity when people are allowed to exchange values and goods without barriers.
He said: "The advent of globalisation through Information Communication Technology (ICT) is supposed to be a blessing for Africa. But, the continent is not tapping the innovation to its advantage. Globalisation has pulled down borders and barriers against free trade. This has boosted economic growth in unimaginable proportions and lifted many people out of poverty, especially in Asia, Europe and the United States. Then, why should African countries close their borders to prevent free movement of goods and services?
"If people cannot trade without having to consider government's restrictions, prosperity cannot be achieved. Trade is still heavily regulated and this stifles economic growth. If borders are opened for exchange of goods and ideas, people would be encouraged to innovate and create values. This would reduce the possibility of war and insurgency, because poverty is the basic cause of violence."
In his lecture titled: Jobs, wealth, order, social change: What can you do?, Glenn Cripe, LLI co-founder, said there was only one way to create wealth. Entrepreneurship, he said, is a "non-conformist innovation", which disrupts regular method of achieving things by creating alternative means.
Stressing that Africa's challenges could not be solved by powerful governments, Cripe said unrestricted trade and powerful innovations could reduce poverty and ensure sustained economic growth on the continent.
He said: "Africa's course will be changed only by a change in ideas…We need intellectual leaders who are willing to work for a progressive ideal, however small. It may be a good prospect for the continent to realise its potential early. Africa needs men who are willing to stick to principles and to fight for the full realisation of a prosperous society.
"Free trade and freedom of opportunity are ideals which still may arouse the imaginations of large numbers, but a mere 'reasonable freedom of trade' or a mere 'relaxation of controls' is neither intellectually respectable nor likely to inspire any enthusiasm."
Andy Eyschen, who spoke on So you want to be an entrepreneur? described innovation as "applied intelligence", saying it requires maximum freedom" for a youth to do something that has not been done before.
Entrepreneurs, he said, must not be restricted to choose their businesses; rather, they must have the freedom to innovate, change their goals and be free from government intervention.
Without establishing new businesses, Eyschen said no wealth and jobs would be created, adding that the continent's progress would be limited. Noting that wealthy countries were made by entrepreneurs, he said governments could not create wealth, but only entrepreneurs.
Eyschen said: "Innovation, which is doing something new, is the key in today's economic growth. It defines the success or failure of a society. Innovation is applied intelligence. It requires the maximum freedom to do something that has not been done before. To increase wealth, we have a choice of two systems, which are socialism and capitalism.
"But, free enterprise capitalism has proven to be the better system to create wealth. It is the primary cause of improvement in standard of living over the past 200 years. It is also a moral system, because it is based on voluntary exchange and not force.
"Attempt to mix the two can only lead to disaster and bankruptcy. The choice is between equal poverty and unequal wealth. Every human being is unique and we have our different ways to live our lives and achieve our wealth."
Other speakers at the event included Sarah Kawala, Belinda Odek and CAMPUSLIFE Editor Wale Ajetunmobi, who spoke onCommunicating liberty through journalism.
The four-day event featured leadership seminar, group discussions and excursion to tourist sites in Dar es Salaam.
Kawira Mutegi, a participant from Kenya, described the event as timely, saying it would help youth to use their skills to address Africa's challenges.
