You possibly know some someone who left Uganda (or Africa for that matter) to go to Europe and America in search of greener pastures. They looked forward to having a good life. I am sure you also know someone who is struggling to make ends meet in those foreign lands. Some of them could have gotten jobs and started working but have been struggling for years. Their earnings may appear to be more but when they take away the bills and the rent, they almost remain with nothing to save. Some left ten or even Twenty years ago but, they almost have nothing to show in form of investments. Others made a decision never to return alive. They will be brought horizontally coz they are afraid of coming back empty handed.
They live a life of hand to mouth in London or Boston. Their counterparts who stayed in Uganda or Tanzania are doing much better financially. So what I am I trying to communicate here? There can be good life in Africa. In fact It’s easier to make money in Africa even when one is earning less than it is while working for what appears more money in UK. Someone earning a salary of $5000 in Boston may turn out to be worse off than a Ugandan earning $1000 back home in Kampala in a period of Ten years. The West does not necessarily provide better opportunities than Africa. If you want to get rich, then you need to work and stay in Africa. Africa has more resources than any other continent in the world. What it lacks is the skills and the right attitude to turn utilize the resources available in a better manner.
With the right skills, Africans can be able to turn around their continent. The only thing that is lacking is Africa is modern infrastructure. If Africans want to make it therefore, they must invest in infrastructure. From which they can get good returns. An African that becomes successful in the West is not ordinary. These are very rare and talented individuals. The West is saturated with the highest form of competition. An African that becomes successful would have become ten times more successful in Africa if they were focused. Why do Africans tend to be more focused and hardworking when they go to Europe than when they stay in their countries? It’s because Europe provides a conducive atmosphere. If Africans are patriotic enough, then they need to work towards creating a similar working environment back in their own countries such that their children and grandchildren should never also suffer the same fate of having to travel abroad to look for a better life.
Africa is still virgin. It’s a territory that is ready to be explored. Those who need to make money should do it in Africa. They do not need to first relocate to the West in order to carry out impactful projects. Where the West has skills, Africa has the resources. The West has been able to dominate Africa simply because they use their knowledge to confuse Africans. The West has never acted in the best interest of Africa and it never will. Africa lacks the leaders that will chart its path towards the development it needs. Development happens through private individual efforts but closely guided by government.
Where government has failed in its role, individuals will need to be strategic enough to take over the Mantle individually or singly do their part which when aggregated could lead to national development. However it’s important to note that when development is championed by individuals, it’s takes a longer time than if government was in charge and guiding the entire process and leaders know exactly where they are taking the country. Africans who migrate to the West in search of better opportunities have been let down by their leaders since they wrongly think that there are no opportunities in their own countries. If African leaders have failed their people, let not the people fail their countries. Africa shall be developed by its people and not foreigners.
