In 1977, a thirty-three-year-old Ghanaian economist with the World Bank was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder that confounded doctors in a hospital in Alexandria, Virginia, United States. One day, his heart almost stopped as he passed out. He was later transferred to the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Washington, D.C. where another team of doctors successfully treated him.
That economist is K.Y. Amoako; the medical team at NIH was led by a doctor called Anthony Fauci. Dr. Fauci is currently on the frontline of the COVID-19 battle in the United States.
鈥淚 believe Dr. Fauci saved my life,鈥� Amoako writes in his memoir,听.听
The anecdote is one of several sprinkled throughout the 526-page book which details the life journey of one of Africa鈥檚 foremost development experts, interrogates the continent鈥檚 development progress and missteps, and recommends ways to achieve transformation.
The author bagged a Ph.D. in economics from the University of California at Berkeley, spent three decades working with the World Bank and later the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) where he served as Executive Secretary. He is the founder and current president of the , a policy think tank based in Ghana鈥檚 capital, Accra.
The book was published in early 2020. The late Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan signed off on its foreword in May 2018, just three months before his death in August 2018.
Mr. Annan, who was only the second African (after Egypt鈥檚 Boutros Boutros-Ghali) to head the UN, wrote that the book 鈥渙ffers great benefits to anyone with a role in Africa鈥檚 economic transformation and thus to anyone with a hand in realizing Africa鈥檚 sustainable and more prosperous future.鈥澨�
The book is organized in four parts, each part with a distinct theme and several chapters. Part 1,听Inside the Bank, discusses the evolution of the role of the World Bank; Part 2,听In Africa, drills down on issues such as gender equality and the role of ECA in advancing the continent鈥檚 development.
Part 3,听Around the World, focuses on the raison d'锚tre for establishing the New Partnership for Africa鈥檚 Development (NEPAD), financing development projects, among other issues. Part 4,听Toward the Future, reflects on Africa鈥檚 aspirations and how visionary leadership can drive economic transformation.
In Africa鈥� women have long been deprived of land and inheritance and forced to contend with deeply ingrained traditions, customs, and belief systems. Evolution of Africa鈥檚 women, from a state of illiteracy and repression to expanding opportunities and awareness.
In explaining the paradox of a continent rich in natural resources yet poor, the author lists hurdles in Africa鈥檚 way, including vestiges of colonialism such as arbitrary borders that continue to stoke civil unrest, high indebtedness of countries, a misdirection of development assistance, short-sighted policies and the absence of visionary leadership.
Amoako was with the World Bank in the early 1980s when many African countries implemented Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP), a conditional lending initiative that experts believe stagnated development. In fact, he was a member of the SAP research team, although he highlights his disagreement with aspects of the programme such as forcing policies on countries that did not have implementation capacity.
He makes a forceful case for gender equality, his passion traceable to his mother who was poor and did not go to school (See听interview).听He was just two years old when his parents divorced, and saw the difficulties brought about by those circumstances as he grew older.
鈥淚n Africa鈥� women have long been deprived of land and inheritance and forced to contend with deeply ingrained traditions, customs, and belief systems,鈥� he maintains, noting an 鈥渆volution of Africa鈥檚 women, from a state of illiteracy and repression to expanding opportunities and awareness.鈥�
To transform economies, Amoako recommends regional integration, public private partnership, transformative leadership, among other key steps.
Transformative leadership is a recurring theme in the book鈥攔eflecting his impatience with the status quo. While transformational leadership鈥檚 foundation is a moral purpose larger than self, transformative leadership goes a step further to disrupt the status quo, challenging inequity and injustice.
Acknowledging his encounters with 鈥減lenty of bad leaders,鈥� he praises those he describes as 鈥渆xceptional.鈥� Examples are Joaquim Chissano who 鈥渉elped turn Mozambique around after more than 15 years of civil war鈥�; South Africa鈥檚 Thabo Mbeki who was a driving force behind NEPAD; Liberia鈥檚 Ellen Johnson Sirleaf who resuscitated Liberia鈥檚 economy; Ethiopia鈥檚 Meles Zenawi and Rwanda鈥檚 Paul Kagame who 鈥渨ere able to put their countries on a steady path to transformation.鈥�
The joy of this absorbing book is its readability: the personal melts into policy discussion and vice versa. Its easy breezy narration sheds it鈥攖hank goodness! 鈥攐f wonkiness.
The book enriches the scholarship on Africa鈥檚 development. Political leaders, policymakers, managers of multilateral financial institutions, pan-African institutions, and students of international affairs are among those who will find the book worthwhile.
