simple balances people!

So I was doing my monthly self-assessment and I found myself asking why Africa appears perpetually launguid in achieving key developmental goals. Of all countries classified as underdeveloped are in Africa, and judging by the current state of affairs, most will likely fail to achieve the Millenium Development Goals(MDG). It really isn't like African's aren't blessed with a wealth of resources; God knows we are!! Neither is it because there hasnt been donor help flowing in the millions of dollars into the continent. Yeah it appears depressingly inadequate, donor help i mean, but on the flip side monetary aid has became supprisingly adequate for corrupt and inept politicians, public service personnel et al to milk for self gain. And why are states in Asia that started with economies, political, health, and educational systems in disarray as those in Africa making significant leaps toward poverty eradication, building solid manufacturing and technology based economies, and functioning health care systems? why? The human resources exist. There isn't a dearth of intelligentia or skilled natives. There are! albeit strewn across anywhere on the globe; go to China, Japan, Malaysia ... travel West to the US and Europe and you will find professionals of clout with Africa roots. This is not disimilar to the case of expatriates from Asian countries. Much has been said about Indian and Chinese immigrants in the US and the role they have played in pulling their native economies from marginalized, underdeveloped states to emerging, new-kid-on-the-block economies. Which leads me to make this assertion that really the problem with Africa is one of imbalanced balances.

See I am have an engineering background so i tend to reason as one... although this is common sense . the problem with Africa is that what goes out doesnt come back. Take Africa as a defined system that is continuously losing skilled personel. Remember that a chief characteristic of developed countries is the concentration of skilled professionals, inventing, innovating, and improving technology while providing manpower for managing socioeconomic structures. The continual loss of this resource from Africa in the form of students, health care professionals, engineers etc requires that this skilled set be either generated in-house or adequately replenished from outside. That, my friends, is the imbalance that is draining Africa of any drive to innovate and develop. And that is what our pals in the Asian countries have achieved; a healthy balance between immigration and emigration. Africa creates and loses too much brain/manpower to the West and beyond than it recieves back into it's ailing economy.

What of the cash inflow, pounds + dollars etc, flowing into African economies from the pockets of its native sons in the diaspora? Well, cash by itself doesn't translate into wealth or sustained development. It is not helpful that all this cash inflow is consumed (and exits the country) as cash in the purchase of western goods, fodder for Swiss accounts etc. local industries do not benefit and are not supported; local goods aren't patronized. And where are the skilled professionals and the requisite brainpower for managing these local industries?

It's all in the balances folks. I best begin planning for a return to the motherland eh?