Professor Nicolas van de Walle discussed governance in Africa and it was quite interesting to learn about the development of Africa over centuries, from colonialism to self-governance and a very active interest from foreign powers. It was a bit of a shock to hear that moving Africa from being occupied by Britain and France to being an independent continental power may have negatively affected its development but it does make sense when you realize that self-sufficiency may not have been fully established yet. Africa is in a delicate place right now with various geopolitical conflicts and while foreign aid is pouring in, Professor van de Walle points out that it might not be as effective as you would like it to be.

For one, the majority of the funding for various infrastructural projects is actually from foreign aid and that creates an imbalance of power as Africa would be naturally inclined to listen to the foreigners, possibly risking its national interests. Additionally, the capital that was pouring in was never effective for long-term development. Even though there were major improvements in welfare, healthcare, education etc in 1970s but it was rendered futile after the oil crisis in the following decade. Obviously, this lead to the bankruptcy of many different countries. It is evident that excessive foreign aid is not really effective because it doesn’t teach the countries to stand on its own two legs. Professor van de Walle argued that democracy would be the best solution for stability in Africa but it would be hard not only because of the rampant corruption and dictatorships already in place, but the transition to the new form of government would create a period of economic and social instability; foreign powers in particular would be averse to such a change because they have already invested immensely into the courtly and they wouldn’t want to disrupt that.

Africa is a continent full of fertile agricultural land and natural resources. It was surprising to hear that there is a great amount of Chinese migration to the region but the clean air, availability of agricultural work and other opportunities makes Africa very attractive. This speaks to the untapped potential of Africa and it is apparent that the growth of the region was mishandled over the years. There are a few countries that are quite successful that have democracies but the majority are dictatorships. Dictatorships seem to be effective for a period of time, cleaning up corruption after a coup and stabilizing the region. However, as the term stretches and the ousting of corruption simply equals prosecuting members of the previous party in power, such a form of government looks less and less attractive. Democracy in the long run would be more beneficial because governments can be held accountable. This governmental transition and an establishment of a more delicate, Africa-favored foreign aid policy would be crucial in allowing this region to grow into a developed one.