Imperialism in Africa’s Development Narrative - By Abdullahi B. Idris

Editor’s Note Africa’s persistently poor economic performance has sparked numerous efforts to understand and address its causes. Growth stud...

Editor’s Note

Africa’s persistently poor economic performance has sparked numerous efforts to understand and address its causes. Growth studies have consistently highlighted a significant "Africa dummy"—a statistical marker indicating that the continent’s growth rates lag far behind other regions. While core economic factors such as inflation, exchange rates, and budget deficits have been targeted in various reform programs, decades of adjustment initiatives and independent research have yielded limited progress. Africa remains largely impoverished.

Ironically, the development theories and models applied in Africa often originate outside the continent. No other region has been so heavily influenced by external ideas, leaving Africa dependent on foreign frameworks for economic reform.

Increasingly, scholars and institutions are voicing concerns about this foreign domination and calling for Africans to take charge of the reform process. This challenge has deeply impacted the social and economic fabric of African societies. Evidence shows that many African leaders are swayed by foreign interests, often implementing policies that serve external powers rather than local needs.

To address this, development efforts must move beyond the narrow focus on macroeconomic stabilization. African policymakers and intellectuals are advocating for reforms that prioritize sustainability, equity, and effective governance—pillars essential for modern democratic societies. Encouragingly, these calls for self-reliance and inclusivity are beginning to resonate more widely.

Abdullahi B. Idris

CEO/Publisher, African News Magazine