Rethinking growth and neo-liberalization development models in Africa: Towards a sustainable environmental ethics

Abstract

For a long period in the past, and even presently, many people think that if they can only get the economy right, everything else will fall into place. Soothing as this 'econo-mythical' presupposition seems, it has formed the bedrock of human predicament. It has constituted the perceptual model through which many individuals and societies see and understand the world, human activities and human relationship with the environment. This presupposition, which provides the intellectual foundation for neo-liberal conceptual framework compels individuals and societies to pursue development in strictly economic terms. This ideology amounts to a reductive definition of the idea of development. It implies a desperate pursuit of economic growth at the expense of the environment and other aspects of human existence. The paper undertakes a critical analysis of the neo-liberal growth model and its implications for development in Africa, especially in relation to the appropriation of development resources including economy and environment. It is discovered by this research that the neo-liberal growth model does not and cannot provide the proper normative principles for efficient energy and environmental management in Africa. Therefore, it is proposed that a new development paradigm which considers overall sustainability of present and future generations of Africans be embraced.