“The governments there are all about looting, Africa Should Be Recolonised” Says Erik Prince

Erik Prince, a former US Navy SEAL and founder of Academi, formerly known as Black Water, the notorious private security firm with a history in Iraq, might not be a household name in Uganda, but his recent controversial remarks on February 8 about the need for (re)colonization in Africa and Latin America raised eyebrows in those following global affairs. Prince argued that these regions were struggling due to issues like corruption and mismanagement.

While Prince’s statements are a sweeping generalization, they spark introspection into the challenges faced by African nations. Even basic tasks, such as paying utility bills, present challenges for institutions like Mulago, Uganda’s national referral hospital, and other public hospitals, accumulating significant debts for government entities.

Uganda is not alone in facing such issues. South Africa, considered Africa’s most advanced economy, grapples with electricity shortages, mounting debts of $26 billion (Shs100 trillion), and malfunctioning power stations, according to the BBC.

Traveling across Africa remains a hurdle due to bureaucratic obstacles that impede Africans from freely exploring their continent. Cumbersome visa processes and outdated embassy websites contribute to this frustration, as highlighted in a Quartz article from 2016.

Inefficiency is a recurring theme, extending to institutions like Makerere University, where basic inquiries often yield inadequate responses, raising concerns about organizational effectiveness despite being established for over a century.

While some attribute Africa’s challenges to its relatively young age as independent nations, a counterargument arises, pointing to the rapid progress and development of South Korea, which was once behind Uganda in many aspects during the early 1960s. In a May 2018 interview, South Korea’s ambassador to Uganda, Kim You-Churl, emphasized the remarkable transformation, asserting that a country doesn’t need a century of independence to achieve organization and prosperity.