Good governance continues to be a challenge in the majority of countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Although procedural democracy has been established in several countries, rule of law and political rights are lacking. Explanations for this situation are varied. Some theorists posit that Africa’s governance challenges are driven by exogenous factors including colonial misrule, ethnic diversity, persistent poverty, and economic and political policies imposed by international donors or aid agencies. Alternate views point the finger at African nations’ inability to accomplish successful democratic transitions, the inherent weakness of Africa's political elite, and the intrinsically fragile nature of political institutions on the continent. At the crux of both of these explanations is the role of leadership.
We currently have two powerful examples of African leadership. On the one hand, Barack Obama's election as the first African-American President of the United States has become a beacon for African youth across the globe that had never before imagined the possibility of the son of an African immigrant rising to such heights of power and respect. On the other, we have Colonel Muammar Gadaffi's appointment as the Chairman of the African Union, and his ambitious agenda to re-cast the African Union as the United States of Africa with a single currency, passport, and army. Both leaders are visionaries in their own right. Against all odds, President Obama won the respect and confidence of working class Americans, promising to prioritize their concerns and work along side them to revitalize the United States' failing economy, create jobs, and put an end to the vagaries of Wall Street that are in large part responsible for the worst of the current global economic crisis. President Obama's inaugural speech was richly textured with historical references to America's founding fathers, particularly Abraham Lincoln, whose bible was used during the oath swearing ceremony. Both President Barack Obamas's personal background and path to the white house cast him as the rightful successor to the United States' legacy of achievement, integrity, and prosperity. Similarly, Gadaffi's grand design for a United States of Africa is reminiscent of the Pan-African movement's great theorists such as, Kwame Nkrumah and Julius Nyerere, who envisioned an autonomous and independent Africa, capable of holding its own with the other world regional blocks.
Of course, President Obama has a proven track-record for working on behalf of America's households and demonstrates the integrity and achievement that the United States is founded on. His first week in office further testifies to his credentials, as he takes resolute actions to redress the errors committed under the Bush regime and to regain the confidence of the United States' allies so that they can work in concert to combat the global recession. Colonel Gadaffi's resume on the other hand is littered with criminality, repression, and collusion with some of the continent's worst human rights offenders, most notably, Liberia's Charles Taylor. Of late, Gadaffi has also been criticized for the derisory treatment of Sub-Saharan migrants residing in Libya. Yet, there are also arenas in which the Colonel has surpassed his more genteel African statesmen, in particular, Gadaffi has become a champion of women's rights, and Libyan women enjoy more freedoms than many of their counterparts in North Africa. Nonetheless, politics is not a game for the fainthearted, and among Africa's current leadership, Gadaffi's commitment to African integration stands out against a sea of egocentric leaders with their own nation's agenda, or worse, personal agenda, taking precedence over the need to raise the continent out of its current quagmire.
The failure of African leaders to harness the continents' resources to the benefit of economic development has been one of the most devastating obstacles to economic and political transformation. Over the past five years, the prices of minerals and metals have risen dramatically on world markets, contributing to overall growth in Africa's mineral exporting countries. However, mineral endowed countries have not derived optimum benefits from the increased exports and price hikes, and steady economic growth has not been translated into economic development for local communities. Instead, extractive industry revenues are concentrated in mining enclaves and profits, gained at the expense of local communities and to the detriment of the environment, are swiftly siphoned off to foreign bank accounts and private companies which have little or no responsibility to local stakeholders. The surge in mineral prices has attracted public debate about the costs and benefits of mining. Increasingly, government ministries have lined up along side civil society groups to press for the renegotiation of mining contracts and the codes under which they were granted. Yet these efforts are overshadowed by intra-African competition for foreign direct investment which has progressively lowered the bar on mining regulation. Once again, the question of African leadership comes to the forefront. It is up to mineral rich nations, regional, and continental bodies, to establish mining codes that prevent foreign companies from exploiting intra-African competition. Some of these processes are currently underway, and the African Union recently hosted a conference of African Mining Ministers to discuss the means of harmonizing mining policies across the continent. Yet, the key to success remains in the hands of Africa's leaders who need to imagine long term scenarios beyond the potential for immediate gain.
The African continent represents a diverse and complex set of political, economic, and social contexts which have given rise to extraordinary leaders as well as notorious criminals. In the early stages of the New Year, it behooves us to look to positive examples to guide us through the challenges ahead. In particular, Ghana's recent elections demonstrate the capacity for African leaders to put democratic theory into practice in increasingly complex and challenging environments. After the first round of inconclusive voting on December 7th, a run-off election was held on December 28, 2008, and amidst fears of poll-related violence, voting concluded without major incident. To the Ghanain peoples' credit, even the last minute dispute over a contested constituency, did not disrupt the democratic process.
Ghana's new President John Atta Mills may not carry the notoriety or influence of his predecessors, his election is a testament to the democratic tradition in Africa, and symptomatic of a new wave of leadership across the continent. At the African Union, there has been a progressive change of guard as the founders and thinkers behind the institution, once praised as visionaries or cursed as dictators, have left the stage, a new assortment of leaders have emerged. Perhaps less impressive than the original power-house of the likes of Olusegon Obasanjo, Thabo Mbeki, and Losana Conaté, today's leaders hold their own promise, not the least among which is having women at the table in the figure of Liberian President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. The African Union has evolved from its initial ideological elitism to encompass the entire African continent with its diversity of experiences and challenges. The Seretse declaration of 1999 which established the African Union was the first step to realizing a united African block, capable of bargaining with other global players. The grand debate on the potential for a Union Government was the next step in bringing these plans to fruition. Currently, Gadaffi's appointment as Chairman of the African
