What Is Wrong With Us: We Fly Halfway Around The World To Admire Discipline, Then Fly Home To Tolerate Chaos

Developing world leaders visiting Singapore, London, and Tokyo admire disciplined systems but fail to implement similar changes at home. This ritual involves traveling to well-run destinations where airports, immigration, infrastructure, and public transport function properly. Delegates attend conferences, take notes, pose for photos, and often return without translating their experiences into action.

The developed world's stable infrastructure and governance are well-known, yet Africa's infrastructure financing gap continues to grow, with an estimated $100 billion needed annually. Despite frequent exposure to successful systems, African leaders struggle to apply these lessons domestically. The World Bank highlights that infrastructure quality is deeply connected to governance and project management, affecting service delivery and public trust.

One major issue is that maintaining existing infrastructure receives little attention, while new construction projects get more publicity. A nation may excel at commissioning ceremonies but neglect the critical task of maintaining what has already been built. This discrepancy stems from the lack of consequence, enforcement, and clear systems to address indiscipline.

In well-run societies, discipline is upheld through consequences, enforcement, and respected planning, while in failing systems, lax enforcement leads to a disregard for rules.