To look at Rwanda and the DRC is to wonder how it is possible that two countries which neighbor each other can be so different, in every conceivable way! I look at Rwanda and the DRC in the lenses of Africa as a whole, whereby one represents the best, and the other the very possible worst of our continent. On one end of the spectrum, you have those states that have chosen to take firm steps to remove the shackles that have bound us – especially us in the region south of the Sahara – into backwardness for so long. On the other end are the countries that have refused to let go of the worst habits or practices that, right from the advent of African independence in the early 60s, have done so much to confine sub-Sahara to its fate as the poorest most backward region of the globe. In the first group are the countries that are taking practical steps to get us (Africans) out of our predicament, of which steps have become their guiding principles in the policy choices they make for their societies. These include embracing the rule of law; instituting best governance practices, clamping down on corruption and all sorts of abuse of public office. They include strengthening the institutions of accountability (judiciaries, professional law enforcement). Or encouraging the inflow of foreign direct investment. Or creating safe and secure environment for everyone. In praxis, creating the prerequisite conditions for development. In the second group are the countries whose governments make the worst choices, for the worst reasons. They are the countries whose leadership type has been the bane of Africa. Embezzlement, looting of public resources, lawlessness, and insecurity are their defining characteristics. As are chaotic upheavals (I know this kind of thing first hand, having been a child in Uganda in the late seventies), genocide or ethnic cleansing, whole populations fleeing across borders, or to camps for internally displaced refugees. These regimes, led by tyrannical, mass-murdering, venal types, whenever they were toppled left crumbling institutions, derelict public facilities, empty state coffers, among other problems. Today one can nurse hope that these kinds of governments no longer are what will define Africa. We are starting to see the progressive, forward-thinking, reform-minded, or modernizing governments slowly emerge, to become the new face of the continent. One can talk of Mauritius and Botswana (the usual suspects!), but also Tanzania, Ghana, Senegal and others that have made good governance their ethos. And of course our Rwanda, which has quickly emerged as an actual powerhouse in restoring peace and calm to trouble spots; a leader in showcasing what Africa has to offer (think of business opportunities, and ease of doing business); a tireless advocate for an integrated African trade zone, and for a continent seamlessly connected through visa-free travel, and “open air” skies. Heavyweights like Nigeria too are showing the will to re-invent themselves, to leave behind the worst aspects of their national identities. One reads about how Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote has built the biggest oil refinery on the continent, and so the country is putting an end to the embarrassment of importing petrol from overseas that’s processed from Nigerian crude! This not to mention the boon to the local economy the refinery will be, in saved revenues that hitherto have been lost to Western refiners. Also, news from places like Lagos and Abuja is that Nigeria has put in place the infrastructure to become a real “Silicon Valley” of Africa, channeling its considerable potential of its educated youths into a budding Internet startup industry. The same is happening much nearer home, in Nairobi, which has its own very vibrant IT industry – Google for instance has set up its first ever product development center in Africa in the Kenyan capital. This is in addition to its traditional position as a center of industry and manufacturing in the East African sub-region, with lots of multinationals having their regional offices there. A lot of hard work could see Kenya expand on the foundation it has in place, to reach higher milestones. South Africa, the continent’s economic/manufacturing powerhouse is a center of gravity in its southern African neighborhood, and can easily be the train to pull the sub-region into middle income status. Yet, even as one thrills to such developments, the fact is, the worst of Africa still is very much with us. The conflicts, the coups or attempted coups, the terrorist militias wreaking havoc in the interiors of lawless countries do not seem to be ending any time soon. And then you have real active stumbling blocks to hopes of African development, of which the pre-eminent example is a country like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and its war-mongering leadership. The DRC is a failed state that is determined to drag others down to its level. The Congo’s president, Felix Tshisekedi is an agent of chaos, pure and simple. What else can one call the leader of one country who stands up to proclaim he is ready to bring war to a neighbor, to cause “regime change” there? This, remember, also is a man that runs a country in which over 260 illegally armed militia groups roam around, looting, raping, and inflicting genocide on a section of the population, with the encouragement of the authorities. Economist Paul Collier in The Bottom Billion lists bad neighbors (states) as one of the serious impediments to the developmental aspirations of other African states. The Congo under Tshisekedi perfectly fits the bill. Tackling the problem of bad neighbors should become a top priority for organizations like the African Union, if the continent is ever to lift itself up.
