Words matter. These are the best George Ayittey Quotes, and they’re great for sharing with your friends.
The solutions to Africa’s problems lie in Africa, not in Live Aid concerts.
Virtually all of Africa’s civil wars were started by politically marginalized or excluded groups.
What Africa needs to do is to grow, to grow out of debt.
The ‘Cheetah Generation’ refers to the new and angry generation of young African graduates and professionals, who look at African issues and problems from a totally different and unique perspective.
Western-style multi-party democracy is possible but not suitable for Africa.
In a banana republic, one might slip on a banana peel but things do work – now and then for the people, albeit inefficiently and unreliably.
When Uganda got debt relief in 1999, the first item President Museveni bought was a presidential jacket for himself.
Africa has more dictators per capita than any other continent.
Getting rid of the dictator is only a first step in establishing a free society. The dictatorship must also be disassembled.
Traditionally, Africans hate governments. They hate tyranny.
The reason why Botswana has done very well is because it’s the only black African country which went back to its roots and built upon its own indigenous institutions.
Unlike their Western counterparts, Africans take elections very seriously – rising up early to queue patiently in line for hours under the hot sun and cast their ballots. Any misguided attempt to nullify or steal their votes will evoke a strong reaction from them.
The richest persons in Africa are heads of state, governors and ministers. So every ‘educated’ African who wants to be rich – and there is nothing wrong with wanting to be rich – heads straight into government or politics.
African history is filled with experiences of people shooting their way to power and then splintering into factions, like in Somalia and Liberia.
Dictators cause the world’s worst problems: all the collapsed states, and all the devastated economies. All the vapid cases of corruption, grand theft, and naked plunder of the treasury are caused by dictators, leaving in their wake trails of wanton destruction, horrendous carnage and human debris.
Dictators are allergic to reform, and they are cunning survivors. They will do whatever it takes to preserve their power and wealth, no matter how much blood ends up on their hands. They are master deceivers and talented manipulators who cannot be trusted to change.
If NATO goes in and solves the crisis in Darfur, when the next one comes along Africa’s leaders will just sit back.
Radio is the death and life of Africa.
