Africa in Chaos

In a follow-up to his ground-breaking Africa Betrayed, George Ayittey takes up the plight of Africa at the end of the twentieth century. Former UN Secretary General Boutros-Boutros Ghali once said that Africa was “in danger of becoming the lost continent” and, on this point, Ayittey thoroughly agrees. As he begins to see countries like Nigeria go over the edge of economic and social disaster, Ayittey uses his formidable powers of analysis to look at the political economy of Africa, the incursion of foreign powers and the relationship of Africa to the world market. He contrasts the indigenous systems of government that existed in Africa before the arrival of Europeans with the colonial and post-colonial systems that were forced on the country and the effect these systems have had on Africa’s inability to move forward. Ayittey’s view is dark and, as always, his stinging conclusions will infuriate some and invigorate others. Certain to create controversy, Africa in Chaos is a must-read for fans of Ayittey’s earlier work as well as anyone interested in the world economic scene today.

George Ayittey takes up the plight of Africa at the end of the twentieth century.

Library Journal

Ayittey (Economics, American University), a Ghanaian by birth, provides a harsh critique of Africa's development. Describing the undermining of basic political and economic institutions, primarily since independence, he places much of the blame for the outcomes on African leaders themselves and what he calls their "vampire states." He asserts that African leaders have ignored the strengths of indigenous systems while spouting meaningless rhetoric and resisting meaningful change. These arguments have been raised in numerous other studies by African and Western authors, but Ayittey's focus on the failure and corruption of political, business, bureaucratic, and police leadership is persuasive, if incomplete. One wishes for more viable examples of internal alternatives to the "chaos" he describes to gain a sense of optimism. -- Bill Rau, Talkoma, Maryland

George B. N. Ayittey is an associate professor in the department of economics at American University in Washington, D.C. He is the author of Africa Betrayed. He lives in Lorton, Virginia.