The Future of African Leadership
African dictators have been part of the continental landscape for decades. However, the recent events in North Africa seem to be filtering down to sub-Saharan Africa, and the conditions for potential uprisings match those that sparked the North African unrest, namely, oppression, high unemployment rates, escalating costs of living and reported poor governance.
The question facing dictatorship-based African leaders now is whether to step down gracefully or fight to remain in power.
According to various media reports, the clashes across Cote d'Ivoire, Libya, Egypt and Tunisia are a direct result of the 'African Century' paradigm shift. 'Africa Century' is a term used to express the belief that the 21st century will bring peace, prosperity and cultural revival to the continent. The term has been used by a variety of people, including South African politicians Thabo Mbeki and Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Chevron CEO David J. O`Reilly, US Treasury Secretary Paul O`Neill and celebrity campaigner Bono from Irish rock band U2.
The expected paradigm shift in African leadership has been likened to the decolonisation of Africa. The debate at this stage is; will this decade represent the democratisation of Africa or will it be the decade of renewed tyranny?
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