Author

What you and I understand as a government doesn't exist in many African countries. In fact, what we call our governments are vampire states. Vampires because they suck the economic vitality out of their people. Government is the problem in Africa.

From George Ayittey

When Uganda got debt relief in 1999, the first item President Museveni bought was a presidential jacket for himself.

From George Ayittey

Mugabe's become a disgrace to Africa. And I must say this because I am an African and a lot of us looked up to him back in the 1980s when he was the liberation hero. But he's now turned himself into a murderous despot.

From George Ayittey

The reason why Botswana has done very well is because it's the only black African country which went back to its roots and built upon its own indigenous institutions.

From George Ayittey

There was free trade in Africa. There was free enterprise in Africa before the colonialists came.

From George Ayittey

Across Africa there is what I call a colonialist mentality or orthodoxy. Orthodoxy in the sense that a lot of things have gone wrong in Africa in the post-colonial period. And time and time again, any time something went wrong, the leadership claims that it was never their fault.

From George Ayittey

Look at the history of peace accords in Africa. They have a terrible record. They are shredded even before the ink on them is dry.

From George Ayittey

African history is filled with experiences of people shooting their way to power and then splintering into factions, like in Somalia and Liberia.

From George Ayittey

If NATO goes in and solves the crisis in Darfur, when the next one comes along Africa's leaders will just sit back.

From George Ayittey

Personally, I regard myself as an intellectual 'rebel,' kicking against the 'old colonialism-imperialism paradigm' which has landed Africa in a conundrum.

From George Ayittey

George Ayittey

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