Africa does not need foreign aid. It only needs good managers, accountable leaders who adhere to, and promote the rule of law, transparent and predictable system and a leadership that is not self-seeking but dedicated to the concerns and development of the citizens. For decades Africa has badly been ruled. Regime after regime have never been committed to the development of the population nor committed to their welfare. For close to 100years of colonial rule, Africa and its people were objects of exploitation and oppression. They worked for the development of colonizers only. The post-colonial independent leadership, carried on this exploitative colonial legacy. They treated public resources as the personal property of the leaders. Public office was turned into a personal/private office to secure personal wealth instead of serving the public. Taxes and foreign loans would all be used for personal enrichment. The personal wealth of leaders like President Mobutu of the Democratic Republic of Congo was more than the national debt. He would have paid-off DRC’s public debt and still have some change to keep. While Africa leaders amassed such massive wealth more than 80% of their citizenship as in DRC lived in extreme poverty, surviving in less than one dollar a day.
In Gabon, the President plundered the nation’s coffers for his personal use. More than a third in this oil rich nation live below the poverty line. Reports indicate that like Mobutu, the President bought a chain of residences across Europe, and many luxury cars. A US Senate investigation unearthed $130 million in Gabon’s President personal bank accounts sourced from Gabon's public finances. Yet another French investigation into Elf Aquitaine heard that the President received 50 million euros [$67-million] a year from the oil company. Confronted with such evidence, our conscience demands that we help establish Good Governance Teams across Africa.