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Commentary

The left behind can be found in much of Africa’s Landlocked Developing Countries

(LLDC). These countries can be simply too poor, with governments too dependent on a

narrow tax base to be able to resource the sort of initiatives that would make any
significant difference. That’s not new. We have known this...like forever. And we have also

known that LLDC have the sort of levels of income inequality that create political instability

and even lead to recurrent coups. All of which creates a regional economic and political
instability.

It’s almost certain that at the time of colonisation, the territory that forms modern day
Malawi was seen as a “Peasant” economy [as opposed to Settler or Plantation] and any colonial

infrastructure development reflected this. And post-independence, a landlocked ‘peasant’
economy would always struggle to attract the sort of inward investment needed to

accelerate development. Malawi is exactly the sort of African country where International

Aid could and should be focused.

And surely any regional economic strategies need the African Union to be the lead agent,

albeit acting on behalf of a group of donor nations.

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We should be trying to build tailor made economic development strategies based on
single regions of Africa within which there is an LLDC.
But you can also find Africa’s left behind in many other African countries. In those regions

far away from their country’s big business cities. Too far away to be the focus of attention

for a resource strapped African government to prioritise. But these left behind regions can
generate their own political instability. And even civil unrest. I saw this for myself in

Ethiopia.

We should be trying to identify left behind regions in specific African nations and develop
programmes which have a legacy of ‘job creation’ for the communities there.

Community Economic Development might be the best use of informal aid resources (The

UK-based African Diaspora(s), UK Retirees, UK Businesses, Community Twinning)
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