African problems require African solutions

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OPINION

By Frank Gashumba

For decades, African leaders have fl own to Western capitals in search of prescriptions for the continent’s chronic challenges — wars, poverty, corruption and underdevelopment. This habit is not only disempowering, but also entrenches dependency. Africa cannot continue outsourcing its destiny. No outsider will ever prioritise Africa’s interests above their own. Western governments and institutions design solutions that serve their geopolitical and economic agendas. Aid packages come with strings attached, policies that erode sovereignty and loans that trap nations in cycles of debt. Meanwhile, the root causes of Africa’s problems remain unaddressed.

Wars in Africa are fuelled by local grievances, ethnic divisions and competition over resources. Poverty persists because of weak governance, exploitation of natural wealth and lack of industrialisation. These are uniquely African realities that demand context-specific remedies. Only Africans understand the nuances of their societies, cultures and histories well enough to craft lasting solutions.

President Yoweri Museveni once highlighted this truth when African presidents were blocked from traveling to Libya for a meeting. He argued that it was unacceptable for external powers to dictate when and where African leaders could meet to discuss their own affairs. That incident exposed the indignity of dependency: if Africa’s leaders cannot even gather freely on African soil without external interference, how can they claim sovereignty?

Uganda’s opposition figure, Bobi Wine, has urged Western powers to impose sanctions on Uganda. Yet sanctions rarely solve problems; they often deepen suffering for ordinary citizens while leaving political elites untouched. Africa’s political disputes, governance issues and democratic struggles must be resolved by Africans themselves — through dialogue, reforms, and homegrown institutions — not through foreign punishment that undermines sovereignty.

History offers sobering lessons. NATO’s intervention in Libya toppled Muammar Gaddafi, but left behind a fractured state. Somalia has endured decades of external military involvement, yet AlShabaab thrives because foreign strategies ignored local grievances. Nigeria’s fight against Boko Haram has been shaped by foreign counter-terrorism doctrines that alienated communities instead of addressing poverty and marginalisation. The Democratic Republic of Congo remains a tragic case where foreign exploitation of mineral wealth prolonged cycles of violence despite decades of international peacekeeping.

Even Rwanda and Uganda, two neighbouring states, once flew to London in the early 2000s to resolve disagreements mediated by Britain’s Secretary of State for International Development, Clare Short, the summit produced a joint communiqué pledging co-operation. Yet the symbolism was telling: African leaders had to travel thousands of miles to a European capital to settle disputes rooted in African soil. That episode underscored the very problem Africa faces — outsourcing solutions to outsiders instead of building mechanisms for dialogue and resolution within the continent itself.

Instead of flying to Washington, London or Paris, African presidents should convene in Addis Ababa, Johannesburg or Kampala. They should invest in regional think tanks, empower African universities and strengthen institutions like the African Union. Collaboration among African nations can yield strategies tailored to the continent’s realities.

Africa is not poor; it is poorly managed. With vast natural resources, a youthful population and growing markets, the continent has everything it needs to thrive. What is lacking is the political will to trust in African ingenuity. The day African leaders stop begging for solutions abroad and start believing in Africa’s capacity to solve its own problems will be the day the continent truly rises.

The writer is the chairman of the Council for Abavandimwe and vice chairman, PLU, Central region