{
  "id": 12787348,
  "title": "Modernisation or Development: The choice of a regime",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/modernisation-or-development-the-choice-of-a-regime",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-08T04:28:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "IOL",
    "slug": "iol",
    "url": "https://iol.co.za/pretoria-news/opinion/2026-10-08-modernisation-or-development-the-choice-of-a-regime/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In Bangkok on 14 October 2026, African and Asian leaders will convene to discuss economic transformation, grappling with a crucial question: what kind of model does Africa truly desire and who will be answerable for it? This is not merely theoretical; it is a matter of sovereignty. For generations, Africa has opted for modernisation, importing systems and institutions from elsewhere. However, the outcomes have been inconsistent, with public revenue often being allocated to debt service, sometimes surpassing what is invested in crucial sectors such as health and education. The origins of this debt lie in external factors such as high capital costs, stringent rating systems, and creditor conditions, yet the loan's purpose and the entities responsible for allocating funds remain opaque.\n\nThe crux of the issue lies in the distinction between capital loans, which finance self-sustaining assets like energy facilities, ports, and industrial equipment, and income loans, which provide salaries, subsidies, and networks. The former fosters growth, while the latter does not yield lasting benefits. African leaders have played a significant role in this process, signing and allocating funds. The critical distinction is clear: a loan perceived as capital invests in assets that generate returns, adhering to rules, whereas an income loan provides sustenance without long-term return. Modernisation, in its current form, replicates external models without fostering internal development. Development, on the other hand, is about building from within, utilizing techniques that require feedback and accountability.\n\nA pertinent example is the issuance of infrastructure contracts without competitive bidding, at inflated prices, and involving politically connected entities. The borrowed funds have not produced the anticipated returns, yet the debt persists. This is not solely an issue of model but rather of regime. The renowned scholar Ali Mazrui had previously articulated this concept, emphasizing that Africa is a product of indigenous, Islamic, and Western heritages. The challenge is not to choose between these heritages but to determine if Africa can synthesize them to forge its own path. Unfortunately, many African nations have chosen to adopt instead of create, leading to fragile institutions and societies that do not resonate with their own rules. While resources exist—Ubuntu, for instance, underscores the notion of responsibility and shared prosperity—they are insufficient without meritocracy. Meritocracy ensures that competence can lead to accountability outside existing networks, providing the credibility that Ubuntu demands.\n\nAsia's success, exemplified by nations such as China, Singapore, Malaysia, and India, is not evidence that a distinct philosophical approach is required. Instead, these countries have employed similar tools—sometimes the same ones—as systems characterized by state discipline and a focus on results. The key difference lies in their ability to harness tools effectively, ensuring that failure incurs consequences and that loans are not merely sources of personal gain. This is why African youth, as the seventh region of the African Union, are not merely symbolic figures. They possess the potential to become a driving force within the region, provided they are granted real initiative, representation in decision-making, dedicated budgetary powers, and merit-based access rules, along with transparent evaluations of their actions. To elevate African youth to this pivotal role is to ensure that they wield the power to transition from imported frameworks to a system where competence is rewarded, failures are penalized, and rules apply uniformly.\n\nAchieving rooted and sovereign development necessitates the creation of our own rules. This is not an abstract binary but a vital choice concerning the type of regime Africa will adopt: one of responsibility or one of impunity. Tools serve a project when they are in the service of progress, but they are captured by networks when they are exploited without accountability. The question of whether Africa can transition to a path of rooted and sovereign development is indeed possible, yet it will not be imposed from above. Instead, it requires a generation capable of synthesizing our diverse heritages, rejecting clientelism, and constructing institutions where failure is met with consequences. This generation is African youth. Their demand for merit, which current systems often fail to meet, is not a demand for a panacea but a prerequisite for genuine progress. To neglect this generation is not merely to stand neutral but to perpetuate exclusion, widening the chasm between outdated institutions and a society that has already evolved.\n\nDesignating African youth as the seventh region is not an act of generosity; it is a strategic decision. It can either serve as the catalyst for a genuine transformation: crafting and enforcing new rules that are respected, or it can remain another institution within a system that prefers dependency over sovereignty and impunity over responsibility. The decision rests with us, and the forthcoming years will hold us accountable for our choices.",
  "summary": "Africa’s development challenge is not whether to use modern tools, argues Ambassador Abdou Samb, but whether its institutions can make them serve the public interest. That requires accountability, meritocracy and a meaningful role for young people.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Ghanaian Times",
        "title": "Modernisation or development: The choice of a regime",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/modernisation-or-development-the-choice-of-a-regime",
        "published": "2026-10-06T06:56:07.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}