ABSURD AS IT IS, the prevalence of social life challenges in Africa has been deafeningly high.  

Singular to plural, one to many, our youths riot and convene, expressing discontent with Status Reports on unemployment; fora congregate, muster to discuss and debate better reforms on education systems—to equitably fashion them and reinvent their strategy in creating problem solvers fit for the contemporary 21st century. 

It’s been decades and aeons of gender equality conversations, colloquies, policies, parleys, sandwiched delicately with poverty eradication and climate change commitments. The Activist banters, rants and pen-wars—churning out polite insults, landing at the waxed ears of their governments, most of which are hardly half-understood or at best, harvested from the press papers using the proverbial iron tongs of civil press censorship. 

In the polls, the hot cake is rhetoric, murky debate without detail, promises of dust in the rain, selling so cheaply and popular. Promises of alleviation to prosperity, jobs for all, climate change reforms, education reforms among other akin thematic topics that appeal to the immediate needs of the voters. As soon as they are elected and the last ballot paper is torched, the voters rally in anticipation of the supposed results ASAP! 

Folks living in nations where economic growth is loaned and human rights are often bank security expect a quick heavenly shift—total freedom of expression and mobilization in exchange for their political martyrdom. Yet on many occasions, they've ended up as collateral damages— by-products of a mismanaged economic process. The hassling agriculturalists hope for better prices for their innumerable scores of produce. The youths, often hyped and puffed up during campaigns, bank on jobs and high wages as soon as their leaders are sworn into office. This is self-defeating! This is a non-plus, so frustrating!

In most ‘democratic’ countries in Africa, an elected leader has a term of five years before standing for another. Where authoritarianism prevails, the de facto leaders are under compulsion to keep the domestic national rage in a globally manageable state. Having made outrageous promises to secure a position, in power, they are conflicted with the sudden reality: some of them don’t, in point of fact, have the skills to superintend to their governments, nor, run a nation —remember, no single school teaches one how to be President or Governor, nor, Member of Parliamentary Assembly. As long as one conforms to the minimum ordained standards of the land and is a persuasive silver-tongued mouthpiece, they can secure a position in power, literally speaking. 

With over 40% of the population in Africa still stuck in abject poverty, the message is only more complex. This communicates so much more: that the immediately comprehended challenges are more likely, to have the bare minimum of basic needs like being served a free meal, the roofing of a shelter and the sight of their children at a third-rate school. It is in the absurd circumstances of this need, that the special-interest politicians will use their needs to appeal to a voter’s conscience to get elected. 

On arrival to power, they vaguely provide what they promised; scholarships to students to enrol in schools, with the gagging quality of education waivers.  For as long as the children are in school, that’s visibly true and proof that a said promise has been fulfilled and the leaders are ‘incessantly trying.’

Instead of designing policies that support more employment, they broker into partnerships with offshore countries where labour is needed. University graduates churned off the lacklustre of the education systems are exported to work as clueless cleaners, shop attendants or security guards (These are not ill professions. They are just not the promised icing-on-the-cake). This is a quick fix! Some leaders even go an extramile, to a derogatory signposted ‘destructive philanthropy’—dishing out money to youths without equipping them with financial intelligence nor skills to employ the funds, sometimes also, disguised as projects creating jobs yet they are simply petty quick fixes to account for money given. If what one supposedly wants is provided and is tall and visible, then the ‘lending’ leader is closer to another electoral term in power. In the long contextual run, however, the same problems resurface and we are in the vicious loop of quick demands and quick supplies; a quick quack method of deceptive solutions.

Summarily, the ultimate fixing of education systems entails policy reforms. For this to be realized, it takes about five consistent years for an intended impact to be brought to sight. For youths to get jobs, policies are fundamentally needed and this may take even over a patient five years. The agriculturalists may need even more time to train and be able to compete on the global market with their goods. If the leaders engaged in solving the actual causes of the problem, no one would understand. These would be thrown out for failing to solve immediate issues and cosmetic leaders would be elected. The true head for the crown would be besmirched.

For a great, viable and selfless leader, five years are never enough. Scholarly, in project management and planning, nothing ‘falls from above,’ and no leader works like an island. If the leader understands the extant challenges in society, then they should be able to engage with them honestly, to avail permanent satellite solutions. The narrow space for prototyping lets leaders do bits of understanding the problems and go ahead to partake of firsthand and large scale provision of quick results. 

In order to create sustainable change, we need strong inclusive political and economic institutions. In the book, "Why Nations Fail”, the authors, Daron and James elaborately argue that governments and development partners should be deliberate about engaging the citizens in civic education. Principally, for a government to be effective, it needs to lead a community of people that understand its target roles. If people understand government duties, they can firmly and progressively hold their leaders accountable.

 Also, informed citizens make informed decisions and interestingly, focus more on the whims of economic growth and development. When people are insulated with more income, they have choices to make. Ultimately, the most loathed stance is to revisit our systems of governance. Surely, democracy may be a great concept but it has its own faults too.

Patrick Karekezi, a student at the African Leadership University, is passionate about policy and program designs for improved livelihoods of young people. 

The views expressed in this article are of the author.