{
  "id": 7312913,
  "title": "What Is Wrong With Us: We fly halfway around the world to admire discipline, then fly home to tolerate chaos",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/14/what-is-wrong-with-us-we-fly-halfway-around-the-world-to-admire",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-14T11:54:43.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
    "slug": "myjoyonline-ghana",
    "url": "https://www.myjoyonline.com/what-is-wrong-with-us-we-fly-halfway-around-the-world-to-admire-discipline-then-fly-home-to-tolerate-chaos/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Developing world leaders often travel to global hubs like Singapore, London, and Tokyo to witness disciplined systems for governance and infrastructure. Upon returning home, however, they fail to implement these lessons, continuing to tolerate chaos and inefficiencies. This phenomenon is not due to a lack of knowledge, as African leaders frequently visit these developed nations, but rather a failure to translate learned best practices into tangible action. Singapore, for example, has transformed from a low-income country to a high-income economy through consistent investment in critical infrastructure such as water, sewerage, electricity, telecommunications, and ports. Despite receiving multiple World Bank loans, Singapore has successfully repaid them while maintaining a high GDP per capita and universal sanitation coverage. The World Bank emphasizes that infrastructure quality is deeply connected to governance, highlighting the importance of proper planning, selection, and management of projects. In contrast, African nations continue to struggle with inadequate infrastructure, with a significant portion of the population lacking access to electricity. The issue lies not in the absence of awareness but in the inability to implement the knowledge acquired abroad. Simply visiting these nations and taking photographs is not enough; leaders must actively work to maintain and improve their own systems. Adherence to rules, enforcement, and consequences for infractions are crucial in ensuring success, as demonstrated by the difference between countries that celebrate construction but neglect maintenance.",
  "summary": "Why the developing world's most travelled leaders keep returning from Singapore, London and Tokyo with photographs instead of change",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "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."
}