Dr. Darkwah and Dr. Suransky in a pose after the lecture
Head of International Relations at Webster University, Ghana, Dr. Leonard Suransky, says the majority of presidents in Africa are “bad leaders” who are unfit to lead their countries to prosperity in the 21st Century.
He made special mention of Presidents Robert Mugabe and Jacob Zuma of Zimbabwe and South Africa, whom he said had worsened the plight of their citizens.
He also described Presidents Paul Kagame and Joseph Kabila of Rwanda and DR. Congo respectively as dictators who have manipulated the constitutions of their respective countries in order to perpetuate their rule against the will of their peoples.
Dr. Suransky disclosed this while speaking at a public lecture organized by Webster University Ghana on Wednesday under the theme: “African Leadership and Development: 21st Century Challenges.”
According to him, “There are a lot of not-so-good African leaders; just a handful of them are good.”
He condemned Mr. Zuma for allowing corruption to flourish in South Africa under his watch and also allowing the Gupta family of India to take over the country’s economy in a scandalous manner.
“The Gupta family has captured the South African state,” he said.
Owing to greed Mr. Zuma, who accordingly has about 700 corruption charges leveled against him, has helped the Guptas in several ways in their corrupt undertakings, he added.
Reforms
Dr. Suransky called for free media and constitutional reforms across Africa to help address the leadership challenges facing the continent.
He contended that terrorism, water and environmental crisis facing the continent are directly due to poor leadership, which must be reversed in order to set the continent on the path of development and growth.
Followers Must Contribute
Dr. Akosua Darkwah of the Department of Sociology, University of Ghana (UG), in a presentation, urged citizens in Africa to rise up and demand accountability from their leaders.
In her opinion, for Africa to record any meaningful socio-economic developments, it will require a change of attitude among citizens on the continent.
The lecture, which was the fifth in the series of Webster University’s quarterly public lectures, sought to provide an insight into ways in which African leaders, since independence, have failed to solve challenges facing the African continent.
It also sought to find out whether the current crop of African leaders have the vision, commitment and capabilities to move Africa forward through the implementation of sustainable solutions.
Webster University Ghana expressed the view that while the economies in Africa have been showing significant growth rates, there has been no commensurate improvement in the living standards of Africans in general.
BY Melvin Tarlue
Tarluemelvin12@gmail.com