ABSTRACT
Hundreds of millions of Africans throughout the continent are trapped in poverty and paying the price for their countries’ government mismanagement. These people are not the primary beneficiaries of many promises made by their governors when they seize the power. On the contrary, these governors quickly become their worst nightmare, unable to fulfill their legitimate dream of better lives, in a rich continent. These governments are well known for cutting health, education, social spending, and decreasing labor protections in order to boost their military power. Africans are obliged by their own governors to live in a constant and profound economic and social misery, while those in power are increasingly concentrating their wealth. African poverty is an outcome of the unjust acquisition of national resources by the powerful. The disproportionate movement of wealth from the people to these powerful governors is a distinguishing feature of African politics. I believe that these inequities are a necessary component of the African political system, based on the concentration of military and personal power in the hands of dictatorial regimes.
