ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a historical view of development and changes in Africa from independence to date. It presents the case studies on the individual African nations of Nigeria, Ghana, Egypt, Tanzania, and South Africa. Nigeria and Ghana had a history of military elitist control of government for many decades. The chapter also uses Malaysia and Singapore as models for African elites because the elite of these two nations became more visionary, with a mission for selfless service. They have equally been able to raise the scale of populist development above standards. The chapter focuses on the potential of the continent and how it is lagging behind. It examines how the elites have conceptualized and approached development. The chapter looks at how emotional intelligence can be used to make a paradigm shift to populist development. Development has to be people-centered, with a focus on the fulfillment of human potential and improvement of the economic, social, and political well-being of the people.
