Development of Poor African Countries:

A Change in the Form of Governance and Focus on the Agricultural and Industrial Sectors

Abstract

One of the transformative revelations after World War II was the discovery of widespread poverty across Africa. Scholars like Herbst have argued that interstate wars are a prerequisite for developing weak African countries. Analysts like Escobar have claimed that adopting sophisticated technology from European countries to exploit natural resources would jumpstart economic growth. While others have developed arguments for democratic forms of governance, this paper argues that for poor African states to develop, there is a need for adoption of a developmental authoritarian form of governance that aims to improve agricultural and industrial sectors. The paper highlights that most African economies are mostly dependent on agriculture and a large portion of the population is based in rural areas. It, therefore, argues that effective land reforms and assertive state advocacy for intensive agricultural methods would enable countries to gain and extract resources from farmers for investment in industries. Lastly, it contends that this approach may yield economic growth and reduce foreign dependence in Africa.