Soludo’s Home-Grown Economic Philosophy: A Panacea for Africa Economic Recovery

By Christian Aburime

Dr Walter Rodney, the Guyanese Scholar and activist, was tragically killed in the summer of 1980 amidst political turmoil in Guyana. Rodney was a graduate of the University of the West Indies, Jamaica, and London University, where he obtained his Ph.D in history

Before the unfortunate bomb that tragically ended his life in the summer of 1980, Walter Rodney had created a powerful legacy.

His classic work, “How Europe Underdeveloped Africa” opened a new perspective to the question of underdevelopment in Africa. It underlines the oppression and exploitations of the African continent by the white man.

Tragically, several centuries after, the African continent still remained largely Underdeveloped. Its leaders have learnt nothing from history.

The continent’s underdevelopment has continued through Neo-colonialism from the imperialist powers aided by some of the continent’s greedy and visionless leaders who can barely see beyond the kingdom of their noses. A classical case is the foray of the Chinese into the heart of the continent.

In an article published online by a Ghanaian writer, Elvis Adjetey, recently revealed how some Ghanaians are panicking over reports of the Chinese entry into the cocoa industry. (Cocoa to Ghana is what crude oil is to Nigeria)

Cocoa is a raw material for making chocolate with the global market value running into several billions of Dollars annually

Strangely, Cocoa is mainly produced in tropical regions like in West Africa with Ghana, Ivory Coast and Nigeria as the leading producers. Sadly, on social media many Africans are worried that sooner or later, China could out-do the leading producers of Cocoa, all found in Africa

A commentator reacting to the influx of Chinese into the heartland of Africa, lamented that the Chinese started cocoa export in less than a year ago and they have already developed a machine that peels cocoa straight from harvesting

According to the commentator, Africa have produced cocoa for nearly 150 years and the African farmers have to marry more wives and give birth to more children to help peel cocoa pods.

China has now started exporting cocoa to Europe. Apparently they have grown 2 billion trees over the last 6 years, using agronomists from Ghana, paying them $3800 or so per month.

They have also packaged garri like rice and exported to Europe. On the packages, the Chinese have boldly claimed in writing that “from cassava grown on uncontaminated soil”.

Look at the psychological inference this places in the minds of consumers out there and the financial damage this will do to the African exporters wanting to compete.

Theirs will be shunned outrightly very soon! Thirdly, they have also turned their attention on the pona yam, which is indigenous to Brong-Ahafo and the Northern part of Ghana. According to the “leaked” document, it shows that China is vying to become the world’s biggest producer of yams in a matter of a few years from now – with pona as its “star” or most lucrative yam export.

Nigeria currently exports about 70% of the world’s yam market but not Pona. The problem here is China will again insinuate that our lands are all contaminated, and crush the African exporters.

The Chinese are in Africa plotting to subjugate and finally eliminate us – because whoever is hungry and thirsty does not care about gold, land or property.

Food and water is next strategy in their war against Africa. That is, the first phase was the loans, followed by the contamination of the land with galamsay.

Look at Zambia and see how the Chinese are ruining the land in that African country extracting bauxite, or the Congo with the extraction of coltan, etc. It is not just in Ghana facing Galamsey or illegal mining by the Chinese, etc. Africans need to wake up and collectively boot these enemies out.” The commentator concluded

Truly, as Africans we must begin to think inwardly, grow  our own economy without allowing ourselves to be exploited by the imperialists.

This is the revolution Prof Chukwuma Charles Soludo is about to unleash in Anambra State as a model for other African countries to emulate! The journey of the continent’s greatness and total revival could indeed begin in Anambra State with a visionary and purpose-driven leader like Cee Cee Soludo in the saddle!!

Chris Aburime is  a media aide to  Prof. Chukwuma Soludo , the Governor-Elect of Anambra State