The African continent was colonized by European countries in the 1800's. African nations became free to govern themselves in the 1900's, but residual bad memories of colonial days remained.
According to President of the Free Africa Foundation, George Ayittey, “capitalism was identified with colonialism, and since the latter was evil and exploitative, so too was the former.” Sadly, as African nations were released from colonialism in the 1957 - 1960's, they embraced socialism.
"Ghana’s first leader Kwame Nkrumah was a self-proclaimed “Marxian Socialist,” and encouraged other African states to seek independence and pursue the “complete ownership of the economy by the state.”
photo of George Ayittey
The result, according to Professor Ayittey, was "economic ruin, dictatorship and oppression." Socialism is not economic freedom, as Nkrumah stated. Production of goods and services is managed and owned by the central planning arm of the government, not by people who make and grow things in neighborhoods and cities.
Socialism is not the free trade of free citizens, and it does not make them wealthier.
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