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In a compelling episode of "Africa in Focus,"  we delve into the contentious but critically important topic of why Western powers systematically work to keep Africa underdeveloped.

The podcast opens with a powerful reference to economist Howard Nicholas, whose viral lecture exposed how Western economic interests rely on keeping Africa underdeveloped. Nicholas boldly asserted that "the West will never allow Africa to industrialize" because if Africa were to achieve its industrial potential, the standard of living currently enjoyed in Western nations and parts of Asia would collapse overnight.

Historical evidence supporting this thesis is abundant. Former French presidents François Mitterrand and Jacques Chirac both explicitly acknowledged France's existential dependence on African resources, with Chirac stating that without Africa, France would "slide to the realm of a third world state." Similarly, American President Dwight D. Eisenhower's statement that "whoever controls the Congo controls Africa, and whoever controls Africa controls the world" reveals the geopolitical significance that major powers attribute to the continent. 

The podcast identifies several specific mechanisms through which Africa's development is systematically undermined. These include the creation of proxy wars that destabilize resource-rich regions like the DR Congo, the deliberate fostering of internal divisions in countries with significant economic potential like Nigeria, and the strategic use of economic pressure through institutions like the IMF and World Bank. Perhaps most disturbingly, the podcast references "Confessions of an Economic Hitman" by John Perkins, which details how Western powers use economic coercion, bribery, and even assassination to maintain control over African resources and development.

Pan-Africanist leaders who have challenged this system have faced severe consequences. Kwame Nkrumah, whose vision of a united, industrialized Africa threatened Western hegemony, was removed from power through a Western-backed coup. More recently, leaders like Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso, who has managed to pay off his country's national debt and demonstrate effective governance, has reportedly survived multiple assassination attempts.
 
The path forward requires both mental and economic decolonization. As Steve Biko famously said, "The greatest weapon of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed." 

Sources:

Professor Howard Nicholas: The 6 Ways the West uses to Keeps Africa Poor

How Europe Underdeveloped Africa By Walter Rodney (2018) :

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