MIT Study Reveals Why Africa Is Still Poor

[Rem280]

The same way America is going from the greatest country in the world to where we're about to end up.
People learned they could vote for money.

Wish I could disagree.

 

[62flint]

The same way America is going from the greatest country in the world to where we're about to end up.
People learned they could vote for money.

I fear you are correct,,,,,,,the only question is how much longer?

 

[Tucketed]

Many reasons but my belief as others have said is corruption. Many examples throughout history of the world as examples. You cannot become a “real” country without ridding corruption.

 

[Doubleplay]

So how would you explain South Africa going from being a first world country under the previous regime where the Rand was stronger than the USD and having one of the top 3 militaries in the world, to its current status?

Current SA government is corrupt and incompetent however what you call previous regime was racism with almost free labor and power and money in the hands of a few.
Transition was immediate and too fast.
Hiring certain % of blacks as a law where there are not enough educated or competent personnel doesn’t help.
Majority of wealth still owned by the whites and they’re taking it out of the country.
Either the new and upcoming generation who doesn’t know apertheid will be educated and competent or the country will be a failed state.

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

Current SA government is corrupt and incompetent however what you call previous regime was racism with almost free labor and power and money in the hands of a few.
Transition was immediate and too fast.
Hiring certain % of blacks as a law where there are not enough educated or competent personnel doesn’t help.
Majority of wealth still owned by the whites and they’re taking it out of the country.
Either the new and upcoming generation who doesn’t know apertheid will be educated and competent or the country will be a failed state.

Forget about racism and everything else you are writing about. All politics is dirty and no one more than the Apartheid government.
The fact stand that RSA was a first world country under that regime, had a stronger currency than the USA, and a top military. Those are facts, not speculation. A question was asked, and I answered. Don't read too much behind the message.

 

[Doubleplay]

Forget about racism and everything else you are writing about. All politics is dirty and no one more than the Apartheid government.
The fact stand that RSA was a first world country under that regime, had a stronger currency than the USA, and a top military. Those are facts, not speculation. A question was asked, and I answered. Don't read too much behind the message.

My son is currently living in Pretoria and I spent ton of time in SA before and after apartheid.
I agree with your assessment however its easier to do things when there’s almost free labor and absolute power.

 

[Piet-Vis]

My son is currently living in Pretoria and I spent ton of time in SA before and after apartheid.
I agree with your assessment however its easier to do things when there’s almost free labor and absolute power.

Democracy is only something that works in specific cultures.
It does not work over here.
The mindless pursuit of democracy on a continent where the people are not wired to operate in a democratic environment is most probably one of the main drivers of my continents failures.

 

[62flint]

I see a lot of similarities in certain areas of South Africa and certain areas of US cities. Just being a traveler passing through. Some areas are simply cleaner than others, some folks will pick up after themselves and some folks wont. Some folks want a nice place to live , house etc . Some folks are content to have a tin shack. its just the way it is. Sometimes you just cant fix people ,

 

[JG26Irish_2]

I am not a political genius, but the Russians have a saying... "People are People". The gist of its meaning is that people are the same the world over. They have the same wants and needs. But, others have stated that Democracy does not work in Africa because the people are not wired that way. On face value, that may be true in that much of the African continent is populated with people who came from tribal cultures. In such as single strong leader runs the village and makes most of the decisions. As such a democratic approach may feel odd and chaotic. Democracy is not perfect and does have its own limitations but other options such as socialist or totalitarian government is less likely to result in prosperity. When the USA declared and won its independence, those people were not "Wired" for democracy either having lived under royal monarchy for centuries. A government of the people was and is an experiment. It worked for a while but requires constant effort to prevent it from drifting into a more socialist form. The same occurred in France and other locations. There will be corruption in every form of government. It is one of the duties of any government to root out corrupt officials and eliminate them thru rule of law. We all struggle with that task.

In the 1960's thru the 1980's many of the African colonies threw off their colonial governments (European based) and won their independence. Most of them devolved into some form of socialist or communist governmental forms (not all of course). Socialism is almost always a path to universal poverty. Democracy does not insure prosperity. It only offers the freedom to try to prosper.

Africa is rich in natural resources and could be more prosperous, perhaps. People are people. All people are created equal. That premise does not mean that we all end up with equal outcomes. Some prosper and some fail. Freedom to do both is the key folks.

 

[Aaron N]

So how would you explain South Africa going from being a first world country under the previous regime where the Rand was stronger than the USD and having one of the top 3 militaries in the world, to its current status?

High level? Because the keys were handed to groups of people who had traditionally never operated within such systems. Couple that with less educated people voting how they are told, as opposed to what’s in their best interests generally doesn’t lead to ideal outcomes.

 

[62flint]

I am not a political genius, but the Russians have a saying... "People are People". The gist of its meaning is that people are the same the world over. They have the same wants and needs. But, others have stated that Democracy does not work in Africa because the people are not wired that way. On face value, that may be true in that much of the African continent is populated with people who came from tribal cultures. In such as single strong leader runs the village and makes most of the decisions. As such a democratic approach may feel odd and chaotic. Democracy is not perfect and does have its own limitations but other options such as socialist or totalitarian government is less likely to result in prosperity. When the USA declared and won its independence, those people were not "Wired" for democracy either having lived under royal monarchy for centuries. A government of the people was and is an experiment. It worked for a while but requires constant effort to prevent it from drifting into a more socialist form. The same occurred in France and other locations. There will be corruption in every form of government. It is one of the duties of any government to root out corrupt officials and eliminate them thru rule of law. We all struggle with that task.

In the 1960's thru the 1980's many of the African colonies threw off their colonial governments (European based) and won their independence. Most of them devolved into some form of socialist or communist governmental forms (not all of course). Socialism is almost always a path to universal poverty. Democracy does not insure prosperity. It only offers the freedom to try to prosper.

Africa is rich in natural resources and could be more prosperous, perhaps. People are people. All people are created equal. That premise does not mean that we all end up with equal outcomes. Some prosper and some fail. Freedom to do both is the key folks.

High level? Because the keys were handed to groups of people who had traditionally never operated within such systems. Couple that with less educated people voting how they are told, as opposed to what’s in their best interests generally doesn’t lead to ideal outcomes.

Kind of sounds familiar

 

[BJH65]

Current SA government is corrupt and incompetent however what you call previous regime was racism with almost free labor and power and money in the hands of a few.
Transition was immediate and too fast.
Hiring certain % of blacks as a law where there are not enough educated or competent personnel doesn’t help.
Majority of wealth still owned by the whites and they’re taking it out of the country.
Either the new and upcoming generation who doesn’t know apertheid will be educated and competent or the country will be a failed state.

Interesting if you study the history of Mozambique. A beautiful country with many natural resources and along the coast as well. Apartheid did not exist in this country when it was a Portuguese colony. In fact all people born and living in Mozambique during that period were considered citizens of Portugal, black and white both. Whether in reality is arguable but the fact remains, by Portuguese law, black and white were equal. After the the military coup in Portugal in 1975, the Portuguese pulled out of Mozambique, which although no apartheid was still caught up in the anti colonialism as well.

Soon after Portugal pulled out, a 17 year long civil war ensued. Tribal factions who could not get along, a common theme eh throughout the world. I recall walking through Maputo in 1997 (civil war had just ended a couple years prior) admiring some of the beautiful Portuguese architecture, and built right next to some of these beautiful modern buildings were grass huts of recent construction!

The city could only generate a couple hours of electricity then blackouts. The technology had left. I haven’t been back since then. I believe all citizens had a better life in Mozambique under Portuguese governance and certainly they had the infrastructure and a decent model to follow. Ah well, it was interesting to experience the culture and people of Mozambique, a beautiful country.

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

High level? Because the keys were handed to groups of people who had traditionally never operated within such systems. Couple that with less educated people voting how they are told, as opposed to what’s in their best interests generally doesn’t lead to ideal outcomes.

Ok, so they have had 30 years to "learn." What now?

 

[Aaron N]

Ok, so they have had 30 years to "learn." What now?

30 years is a generation, barely a blip on the radar. “What now” is the million dollar question. We can’t write blank checks, because that’s never made a problem go away. Coups to install white led governments? I don’t think that will fly too well. The majorities have to A) want a change and B) have a path forward on how to manage that change.

An old colleague once told me that in a democracy, you always get the government you deserve.

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

30 years is a generation, barely a blip on the radar. “What now” is the million dollar question. We can’t write blank checks, because that’s never made a problem go away. Coups to install white led governments? I don’t think that will fly too well. The majorities have to A) want a change and B) have a path forward on how to manage that change.

An old colleague once told me that in a democracy, you always get the government you deserve.

The "What now" was a rhetorical question.

Respectfully sir, I don't think that you have an idea how Africa works. We also have a saying. Our locals will slaughter a cow to eat meat for a week, rather than keep the cow to have milk for a life time.

All the best to you,

 

[Aaron N]

The "What now" was a rhetorical question.

Respectfully sir, I don't think that you have an idea how Africa works. We also have a saying. Our locals will slaughter a cow to eat meat for a week, rather than keep the cow to have milk for a life time.

All the best to you,

You’re right, I’m not an expert on how it works, but would love to hear your thoughts on solutions.

 

[Piet-Vis]

You’re right, I’m not an expert on how it works, but would love to hear your thoughts on solutions.

I would be richer than Musk himself if I had the capability to answer that.

An old man told me many years ago. Some questions don't have answer.

Actually, come to think of it, there is no question.
I was in a meeting with a minister and a couple of PS's yesterday. They are quite happy the way things are.

We are the problem, we want to change things. Africa is happy the way it is.

 

[Aaron N]

We are the problem, we want to change things. Africa is happy the way it is.

This is a great line. If China, the west, and Russia all pulled out of Africa, they would figure out their own path.

 

[freefall]

This is a great line. If China, the west, and Russia all pulled out of Africa, they would figure out their own path.

You know that won't happen, Africa has resources that everyone wants.

 

[Aaron N]

You know that won't happen, Africa has resources that everyone wants.

And therein lies the rub