Pride And Profit

India's ruling elite has placed its own pride before priorities for the poor, says Meghnad Desai

Africa was a continent of promise in the Fifties. Compared to India or any other country in Asia, African countries had a favorable ratio of resources to people. There was plenty of land and many countries had mineral wealth. Ghana seemed to us in the Fifties an example of its colonial name - Gold Coast. It had a charismatic leader in Nkrumah. Other Leaders such as Kenyatta, Nyerere, Kaunda and Obote in the ex British colonies were also promising. Africa had a scarring experience of Imperialism but it was shorter than that of India and having learned their lessons in India the British were careful not to anatagonise the native rulers in Africa.

 

But forty years on, Sub Saharan Africa is not in good shape. Africa