Photography by Studio 24, Abuja, Nigeria
By Sunday Oyinloye, West Africa Editor.
Some call it an emerging market, some emerging economy, some a continent of the future, yet some refer to it as a continent flowing with the proverbial milk and and honey because of its geographical location, but Africa in the real sense seems to be a crawling adult.
Some scholars have argued that human civilization started in Africa,however, to some youth in Africa, that is more of a folklore than reality. Can you blame the youth for not believing in history? They have every reason to dispute the theory that civilization started in Africa.
How could one explain the level of poverty,hunger, disease,deprivation ,mis-governance,illiteracy,insurgency and other anti-progressive vices in a continent said to be the cradle of civilization?
In theory, the future of the continent is bright, but if what is on ground and recent developments are anything to go-by, then the thinking that Africa is an emerging market and economy might be a fluke after all. From Nigeria to Central African Republic, from Kenya to Egypt and many parts of the continent, it is one crisis after the other.
Even in some countries where there are no crisis, the citizens are in economic bondage under sit-tight leaders, some of whom have been heads of government for than 25 years without making any meaningful impact in the lives of their people. Though, no part of the globe is immuned to crisis and challenges,the wounds in Africa are mostly self-inflicted.Yes books have been written on how Europe underdeveloped Africa, stories of slave trade have been told and acted in films over and over again, these are not enough reasons why Africa should be stagnant.
African nations are always quick to point accusing fingers at Europe and America for their misfortunes, it is however clear that some of these countries have not sat down to look inward to see that they are the architects of their misfortunes. Why for instance should people be hungry in Africa when fertile land dot many parts of the continent. It is true that some parts of Africa are prone to extreme weather conditions,but it can be safely argued that Africans have not made the best use of their arable land.
Using Nigeria as a case study, there is no reason on earth why the country should not be able to feed the rest of Africa with her good soil,land mass and abundance water resources. It is rather an irony that the number of African countries facing severe food shortages has increased over the years due to insurgencies, extreme weather conditions and lack of adequate attention to Agriculture.
While food supply in the globe is on the increase,that of Africa is decreasing. The Food and Agricultural Organisation and the World Food Programme fear that as many as 24 Sub-Saharan Africa countries are struggling with food crisis.
Africa accounts for a large number of people displaced by conflicts and violence. Stories coming from Nigeria, Congo, Central African Republic and some nations are not encouraging. Good story has eluded Somalia for years. al-shabaab has practically held that country hostage. In recent times, Kenya has had to contend with attacks from alleged al-shabaab insurgents. Not even South Sudan which recently became a nation is faring better. It has been one crisis after the other.
If on paper more than half of Africans are involved in the Agricultural sector, what sense does it make for the continent to be spending an estimated $35 billion yearly importing food ? .
This is surely an headache for African Development Bank. Many farmers in Africa cannot tend their farms because of insurgencies. In Nigeria, the bulk of the food comes from the Northern part of the country, but in recent times, food production has decreased sharply because of the activities of Boko Haram. Farmers don’t feel safe in their homes not to talk of farms, little wonder prices of food are now beyond the reach of an average Nigerian.
Only the wealthy and a few number of people in the middle class can afford to eat whatever they want. An average home cannot afford three square meal per day. Put differently, most Nigerians are suffering in the midst of plenty, the rich are getting richer, the poor getting poorer .
Nigeria spends billions of dollars annually on food importation .From 2005 to 2015 the country has been a net importer of mainly rice, sugar, wheat and fish. The record of the Central Bank of Nigeria shows that Nigeria is the largest importer of United States hard red spring and white winter wheat.
Though Nigeria has an arable land for cultivation, this opportunity has not been properly harnessed for food production in such a way to prevent food crisis. Nigeria is reputed to have over 84 million hectares of arable land of which only 40 percent is cultivated. Not even its 230 billion cubic meters of water has been effectively harnessed for agricultural growth that could lead to food security.
Where are the Kano groundnut pyramids in the Northern part of Nigeria ,where is the cocoa that was used to finance education in the old Western Region and where are rubber , palm oil, and other farm produce that were popular in the Eastern and Southern parts of the country before the oil boom?. Nigerians are exposed to modern farming methods and technology but how much they have used this to put food on their tables is another question entirely. The country over the years has made fortunes from oil, yet many of her citizens are living in abject poverty
Africa needs to wake up from its slumber. What is happening in some parts of the continent is heart breaking. Much of the scare resources are being used to fight insurgencies, treat diseases instead of preventing it, while huge amounts of money are daily stolen and kept in banks outside the continent by some corrupt leaders and their foreign collaborators.
A continent that is supposed to be the good bride of other continents because of its history has practically lost its bearing. If not, what is the rationale behind the exodus of youth to Europe with many perishing on the high seas in their bid to seek greener pasture.Yes many are fleeing conflicts in their countries, but a large number are economic migrants. If Europeans had also chosen to destroy their countries economically, where would these economic migrants have run to?.
It is time for African leaders to begin to do self examination and make their countries habitable for their citizens to prevent brain drain and exodus of the youth to Europe where they often think their future will be more guaranteed
