Re-Inventing Africa's Development

RE-INVENTING AFRICA’S DEVELOPMENT Linking Africa to the Korean Development Model Jong-Dae Park Re-Inventing Africa’s Development “Written by a Korean diplomat and Africanist, this book ofers a unique perspective on the development problems of the sub-Sahara Africa (SSA), and it also suggests efective solutions for SSA to take of economically, basically through the two-step approach of building-block and building-bridge.” —Keun Lee, Professor of Economics at Seoul National University, South Korea “Te potency of this book lies in the unique qualifcation of the author with vast experiences richly encompassing both the Korean and African aspects and policy expertise guided by strong academic credentials. His work embodies keen insights, and is a welcome addition to the African development discourse; I highly recommend it to all those interested in meeting the African development challenges head-on.” —Augustin K. Fosu, Professor of Economics (ISSER) at University of Ghana, Ghana “On the strength of a life-long front-row experience of the continent and a deep command of the literature, facts and debates, Jong-Dae Park ofers an intriguing cultural argument about African development. Inspired by the experience of South Korea, it is provocative (despite its gentle tone) and likely to prove controversial. Yet, it is also hopeful and well worth reading, both for African and non-African students, scholar and practitioners of development.” —Pierre Englebert, Professor of Political Science at Pomona College, USA “A perspective from an Asian with profound experience in Africa and who is keenly aware of Korea’s achievements is a welcome addition for tackling Africa’s development challenges and opportunities. Jong-Dae Park weaves together so immaculately his personal observations, careful reading of available literature, and insights into the Korean experience; the book forces the reader to navigate peculiar idiosyncrasy and generalities in Africa and South Korea’s development so as to draw some crucial lessons.” —Siphamandla Zondi, Professor of Political Science at University of Pretoria, South Africa “Jong-Dae Park is uniquely qualifed to comment on the contrast between Africa and South Korea due to his background. Park’s critique is not an arm- chair academic exercise; he is passionate about development because, as a Korean, he has witnessed frst-hand the transformation of his country, while in Africa he sees the vast potential not yet realized.” —Dr. Ian Clarke, Chairman of Clarke Group, Uganda Jong-Dae Park Re-Inventing Africa’s Development Linking Africa to the Korean Development Model Jong-Dae Park Embassy of the Republic of Korea Pretoria, South Africa ISBN 978-3-030-03945-5 ISBN 978-3-030-03946-2 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03946-2 Library of Congress Control Number: 2018960761 © Te Editor(s) (if applicable) and Te Author(s) 2019. Tis book is an open access publication. 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Tis Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG Te registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland To my father, my wife Mi-Sung and daughter Han-Seo Preface Writing a book on Africa seems never easy, as I have realized. I think it becomes even more difcult when one is writing about Africa’s development. First, your peers will remind you that the African region is made of up diverse countries, so caution is in order when making gen- eralizations. Second, there is the inevitability, when taking serious issues with the current state of Africa’s development, of being critical of many of its aspects. Furthermore, the central theme of this book is ‘mindset change’, and the approaches that I propose are, in essence, breaking away from the status quo. So, basically, a critical and a form of activist overtone is maintained. Critical views are taken not for the sake of criti- cising, but to enhance awareness for positive changes. Hence, I may sound blunt or judgemental, but it should not be con- strued in any way as demeaning, because the purpose here is to critique in a professional manner. I have a special attachment to Africa, having lived here when I was a teenager, and over the years befriended many Africans. Rather, it is as a result of my belief that Sub-Saharan African nations can indeed overcome the predicament that has plagued them for so long through change that I have decided to put down my ideas in a straightforward fashion in order to contribute to the discourse and vii viii Preface actions on Africa’s development. I was heavily engaged in development cooperation for the past seven years, and the discourses and collabora- tion I had with various interlocutors and stakeholders produced much positive feedback. Te caveat of discussing Africa as a whole is heeded, but I believe there is a great usefulness at this juncture in discussing the Sub-Saharan African region. While Uganda is mentioned frequently and has been often examined as a case study, I have tried to bring the full picture of the region while not losing focus on the key topics. Without being prejudiced, I can say that Sub-Saharan African countries indeed have many common traits and cross-cutting issues, as experts and observers attest. My journey to Africa started in 1973, when I landed in East Africa at the age of 13. And now, as I gaze out of my ofce in Pretoria to see the Union Buildings, I sense that so much time has passed since then, yet there are so many things and issues in this region that remain unchanged despite the passage of time. When you are in Africa—and it does not matter where you are located—the issue of development cannot be avoided. I have thought about what development is and have concluded that it is the ‘way of life’. Unless the way of life of the people, including its leaders, changes, the economic development that everyone is striving for cannot come about. Africa is a land blessed with so many things and has great potential for growth, but I couldn’t help thinking that something of its true essence was missing. Asian developing economies had other neighbouring countries in the region to use as a benchmark for economic development, but I am told that Sub-Saharan African countries do not have one on their continent to act as a ‘catch-up’ model. Te countries are seen to have been exposed to, and to have reacted to, the trends and fckleness of the times, without properly formulating and consolidating national strat- egy that can efectively push them forward towards transformation. My work is an attempt to identify the ‘missing links’ to Africa’s development and to suggest a new approach in the context of reinventing and rein- vigorating the development of Sub-Saharan African countries. Preface ix A contribution of this book may be that it makes a forceful case that in spite of wide variations in terms of the traits, situation, level of development, etc. of diferent countries, the basic rule of economics and industrialization that is applicable is the same for all of them. Fundamental progress will come about when the most fundamental conditions are satisfed. But both the African countries and the international development community alike have ‘skipped’ many funda- mentals, hence we see the continuing underperformance of African countries. A drawback in Africa’s development may be that the existing approaches have become too technical and shallow. At this juncture, mindful of Africa’s complexities, it would be useful to keep matters ridiculously simple. In the simplest terms, development can be defned using just two variables—the extent of change over time—so the ques- tion can be how much and how fast change could be made. It is no secret that things often stall, break down and fail in Sub- Saharan Africa, and the impression we get of the region is one that has been submerged for too long in poverty and a host of other troubles. It is as if there is a certain formidable obstacle that prevents Africa from moving forward.

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