Towards Making Responsive Development in Governance of African States in the 21st Century and Beyond: Lessons from John Pombe Magufuli

Abstract

Africa in the lenses of the developed economies is a continent that would not develop. The former USA president Donald Trump called Africa shithole. Africa it is agreed is the richest continent in the world yet the poorest. Africa's underdevelopment is the product of poor leadership since independence. The few good and pragmatic ones were either terminated by the agents of developed economies or eased out through questionable elections. In this group are revolutionaries. The non-revolutionaries but focused were the likes of Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, Nelson Mandela, John Magufuli of Tanzania whom this paper is addressing. Others fall into despotic and authoritarian and by extension agents of neo-colonial masters and hydra-corrupt. They would do all things to milk their countries dry and repatriate the funds either for building of castles in developed world or stash it in Swiss banks and other banks abroad while their people are wallowing in poverty and underdevelopment. In this group are found Mobutu Sese Seko of Congo Democratic Republic (Zaire), Marcias Nguema of Equatorial Guinea, Omar Bongos of Gabon, Gnassingbe Eyadema of Togo, Houphouet-Boigny of Ivory Coast, Sekou Touré of Guinea, Idi Amin Dada of Uganda, etc. Again, most African heads of state believed that development cannot come to their countries except they rely on the western aid and or borrowing, and of recent from China. Nigeria under Mohammadu Buhari fall under this category. Late John Magufuli had proved that 'theory' wrong. He developed Tanzanian people and economy without western aid, fought corruption and if death had spared him, he would have led Tanzania to greater height than where she is now. The paper concludes that other African leaders should emulate the foot-prints of John Magufuli - for African development. The paper uses historical and multi-disciplinary approach as methodology.