Wanjigi urges Africa to turn political freedom in economic power

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Safina party leader Jimi Wanjigi has challenged African leaders to match political independence with economic liberation, saying that independence did not dismantle the economic structures inherited with colonialism.

Wanjigi said the exploitation did not stop at independence but has continued to dominate African countries, with heads of government turning out to be co-perpetrators of neo-colonialism.

Speaking with Chanel Africa TV, Wanjigi blamed a section of African leaders for deliberately failing to focus on value addition to the natural resources, instead advancing the colonial strategies to continue governing the poor.

 “We have been so disenfranchised over these years by a process of neo-colonialism that has also captured our leadership continually, they themselves have become co-perpetrators of the same,” he said.

 He cited three companies that existed before Kenya got its independence, linking it with poor coffee prices, a move he noted had disadvantaged coffee farmers.

“The exploitation did not stop at independence, the same private companies continued in those industries we are just recently getting some liberation out of our coffee with new laws but we've had a little cartel of companies three companies that have dominated the price of our coffee here in Kenya where the farmer gets peanuts,” he said.

He added “That is why political liberation must now be matched by economic liberation; controlling our resources, building industries, adding value, creating ownership and ensuring that Africans participate in the wealth their economies generate.

He said that much of Africa still exports raw materials and imports finished products at much higher value, noting that the resources leave the land, but too little of the value remains with our people.

Wanjigi who will be issuing a public lecture at Fort Hare in South Africa on October 15 about ‘economic sovereignty & freedom,’ said political sovereignty is incomplete if the decisions that determine the economic lives of the people are ‘made by the same colonizer and worse still if our resources leave the continent while our people remain poor.’

“At Fort Hare, I will speak about what it will take to make that freedom meaningful in the lives of ordinary Africans today; to confront the barriers that keep people in poverty and prevent them from building a better future for themselves and their families.

He stressed that African leaders must build an Africa where people can benefit from the wealth of their own continent; where their resources create opportunity, and where prosperity is not the privilege of a few.

“Economic liberation means African countries must determine how their natural resources are developed, how public money is borrowed and spent, how our industries are built, and how our people participate in the value created by our economies.”

He added ‘We must move beyond exporting raw materials and importing finished products at much higher prices. It means processing our minerals, adding value to our agricultural products & building manufacturing capacity and creating opportunities for our people.”

On youth agenda, the Presidential aspirant regretted that Africa had approximately 532 million youth but roughly 8 to 11 million enter the workforce every year noting that the gap must be filled by building economies that absorb their talent.

“That means ensuring the youth have access to capital, land, technology, infrastructure and markets. A young African should be able to start a business, access credit, own property and participate in value creation. The objective is simple, to turn talent into ownership, and ownership into wealth,’ he added

He said that his approach to economic liberation was practical, saying he would bring debt and public spending under control through proper audits; make capital and markets accessible to African-owned businesses; move from exporting raw materials to value addition and manufacturing; and reform taxation so that we expand production rather than continually burden it.