Tribal Politics and its Effects on Africa’s Development

Co-operative development and marketing minister Joseph Nyagah

Tribal politics have for ages retarded development in most African states, Kenya’s Cooperatives Development and Marketing Minister Joseph Nyagah has said. While presenting a paper: ‘The Challenges of Leadership in Africa’ at Kellogg School of Management in Chicago on Saturday night, the minister stated that African states are currently tackling major challenges inhibiting development in the continent. “The ‘African Chief” mentality of our imperial presidencies has created many problems in the past. Poorly educated populations, unemployment in addition to HIV/AIDS are major issues that an African leadership has to deal with,” said Nyagah.

The minister however explained that all was not lost in Africa. He said that as the continent is now part of the global village there was marked development with emerging strong civil societies; growing role of the media and enhancement of technology. He said: “Our economies during the last few years, except last year due to the US meltdown, are now stable, predictable and growing. We, African countries, are now getting better at negotiating with foreign partners.” He also said that the sustained pressure for accountability from the donor community was working well adding that a new crop of enlightened leadership is emerging in Africa and that they need to be encouraged.

The seminar was organized by African students studying at the prestigious Business School. Kellogg is on of the leading top three Business Schools in the US. Among the other distinguished participants was the Director of Economic Policy in the US State Department, Anthony Newton who was representing the US Assistant Secretary Johnnie Carson. Also present were; Tunde Omotoba, Nigeria’s Minister for Aviation and Arnold Ekpe, CEO Ecobank. Other participants included at the high profile seminar were students, professors and business executives.

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