What Has Socialism Done to Africa?

Why is Africa still mostly poor? Some say it was colonialism that turned the continent into a wasteland of corruption and poverty – but could there be another reason? The continent remains mostly socialist. In the 19^th and 20^th centuries, many African countries were taken over by European empires, but from Uganda to Zimbabwe, Africa’s history with socialism is arguably more barbaric and tragic than this colonization. Following decades of destitution, deprivation, and despair, has Africa learned from socialism’s failure?

Uganda

In his one-man quest for absolute power, Idi Amin committed socialist atrocities in Uganda. Amin nationalized the means of production, collectivized agriculture, and abolished private property. Ugandan factories collapsed, farmlands were mismanaged, businesses were neglected, and exports disappeared. Amin printed money – and lots of it. Inflation eventually surged 700%, making toilet paper cost almost a month’s wages.

Zimbabwe

Robert Mugabe transformed Zimbabwe from the breadbasket of Africa into poverty-stricken country. He presented himself as a Marxist-Leninist, and he assured everyone that socialism was his “sworn ideology.” So, what did Mugabe do during his 30-year reign of terror? He took land from white Zimbabweans, introduced price controls, and destroyed the currency. All this in addition to a list of human rights abuses and crimes against humanity. Food shortages, blackouts, and beatings of white farmers were the new norm in the former Rhodesia.

Socialism – Then, Now, Forever?

Did every African state travel down this Marxist road? No. There was “The Ivorian Miracle,” explains author Germinal G. Van:

“In the 1960s and 1970s, Côte d’Ivoire was the most economically advanced country in West Africa. While its neighbors were embracing socialism, Côte d’Ivoire opted for a market economy. Despite having an authoritarian political regime, like all African countries during that time; the Ivorian people were, nonetheless, economically free. They had the freedom to create businesses, and to expand private property.”

The results? Today, it is the wealthiest economy in the West African Economic and Monetary Union, thanks to the private economy’s use of its vast cocoa beans, natural rubber, crude oil, and other agricultural products.

It is said that socialism mirrors African culture, but the data suggests this is nonsense. Why do Africans suffer in Africa, but prosper when they leave the continent? When you look at Africans who have relocated to the U.S. and other Western countries, they do remarkably well. For example, Nigerian Americans maintain a median household income of $63,000 in the U.S., which is higher than the average $58,000. Therefore, you could surmise that capitalism is more in line with African heritage.