Burundi’s president epitomises Africa’s selfish leadership

Questions have been bandied as to why Africa lags behind other continents in virtually all crucial aspects. The answer is simple. Leadership. It is largely due to the curse that is Africa’s leadership so imbued with selfishness that South East Asian tiger nations that were no better at independence have paced ahead.

Well, Nelson Mandela was an exception, hence his enviable status as Africa’s icon par excellence. Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria listened to wise counsel and saved his face recently, salvaging Africa’s economic powerhouse from a looming quagmire. Tiny Mauritius in the Indian Ocean has been in a class of its own. But rotten or rotting eggs dominate the African scene, with East African Community’s Burundi conspicuous in the rot.