The political tasks of the fight against neocolonialism are to prepare real African leaders who put the interests of their people first, leaders elected by their people, and not in accordance with someone else’s order, Adu Yao Nicaise writes.
Kwame Nkrumah, the father of the independence of the Republic of Ghana (1957), is believed to have created the concept of “neocolonialism” which is presented in his work Neo-colonialism: The Last Stage of Imperialism, published in 1965. It should be noted that Nkrumah himself used the term “neocolonialism” even earlier, in his work Africa must unite in 1963
In addition, it can be noted that “neocolonialism” is associated with other concepts such as capitalism, imperialism and colonialism, between which there is a certain natural connection. It lies in the fact that capitalism, which has as its main goal the increase of capital and profit, has led to imperialism, that is, to the pursuit of territories for their exploitation. This is colonialism. In addition, despite the development of human society with the emergence of resistance systems in the world, particularly socialism and communism, which led to the process of decolonisation and the liberation of peoples from oppression, a new form of the system of exploitation of the territories of the third world has appeared, that is, neocolonialism. Neo-colonialism is nothing more than “colonialism” with the prefix “neo”, translated from Greek as “new”. Consequently, “neocolonialism” is nothing more than a new form of colonialism. According to Nkrumah, neocolonialism emerged after the third world countries gained independence, and manifests itself in the creation of institutions and mechanisms aimed at dominating and maintaining these states. This is achieved via capitalism (imperialism); they remain dependent on the West, as control is exercised over the resources of the newly independent countries. In other words, the goals of capitalism and, consequently, the former imperialist countries of the West remain the same, only the methods and mechanisms change.
So, more than half a century after the third world countries (the Global South) gained independence, they, as before, remain vulnerable, as evidenced by economic and technological backwardness, hunger, poverty, threats of epidemics and pandemics, etc., despite their rich natural resources. All this happens regardless of the supposedly universal values proclaimed in the world: human rights, democracy, equality, dignity, etc. Thus, the lack of respect for universally proclaimed values many decades after the liberation of a number of peoples of the Global South from oppression only leads to new frictions throughout the world. Evidence of this are new waves of indignation in various countries and regions of Africa: the situation in the Sahel region, the rupture of diplomatic relations, the denunciation of various agreements, in particular in the military sphere, etc.
In other words, we can now talk about new waves of resistance to neocolonialism that began after the decolonisation on the African continent – “de-neocolonisation” in Africa. What should the new tasks of “de-neocolonialism” in Africa be? What tasks of the fight against neocolonialism need to be resolved in modern Africa? The tasks of the fight against neocolonialism in Africa are diverse due to the complexity of the problems facing the peoples of the continent. Economic, political, cultural, technological, institutional and other tasks can be identified.
Economic tasks
Africa is the richest continent in terms of its natural and human resources. The continent’s natural resources can be listed endlessly. diamonds, gold, nickel, uranium, titanium, graphite, iron ore, phosphates, aluminium, gas, oil, timber, fish etc. Africa also has unique fauna and flora. In addition, Africa has the youngest and fastest growing population in the world. According to the UN Economic Commission for Africa, the continent’s population was 1.5 billion in 2024 and will reach 2.5 billion by 2050. On the one hand, this guarantees the safety of the continent’s population in the future, while on the other hand, it creates certain development problems for today, because it is necessary to urgently, in the course of time, solve at least three important problems: feed, treat and educate. However, unfortunately, Africa’s wealth is not exploited in the interests of the continent’s population, and the economy is in the hands of the largest conglomerates of Western countries. Consequently, the well-being index of the population of African countries as of 2023-2024, according to the UN Development Program, remains one of the lowest on the planet. We believe that it is fair to note that colonialism and neocolonialism are worthy of each other. The methods and forms may have changed, but the goal remains the same. That is why one of the most important tasks of the fight against neocolonialism in Africa today is to return control over economic resources to Africans. Only in this way will African countries be able to achieve economic sovereignty and solve their underlying problems, in particular, they will be able to treat, feed and educate themselves for the development of the continent.
Political tasks
Following Africa’s complete independence from colonialism, many experts believed that Africa had gotten rid of this negative social phenomenon and would be able to build its own future. However, experience has shown the opposite. Most African leaders remained under the rule of their colonial masters, who continued to make decisions for Africans. All leaders who were undesirable to the West were liquidated or called dictators in order to discredit them before their peoples and the international community. The policies of African leaders were to meet the interests of the former Metropolis. As noted in some sources, in some African countries, even the appointment of members of governments and high-ranking government officials had to be approved by the Metropolis. Even the agendas of some government meetings had to be agreed upon with tomorrow’s masters. Thus, it can be noted that the political independence of African countries, which was supposed to direct the continent towards the right path of development, turned out to be formal and continued to serve the interests of the colonisers. In this regard, the political tasks of the fight against neocolonialism are to prepare real African leaders who put the interests of their people first, leaders elected by their people, and not in accordance with someone else’s order.
Cultural tasks
Culture is the most important element of the identity of each person and society. The loss of an individual’s culture, traditions and customs leaves him without a reference point and leads to a loss of identity. Unfortunately, we can state that one of the main goals of colonisation was the acculturation of the peoples of Africa in order to ensure their convenient management.
Culture is also expressed in works of art. It has already been proven that the Western countries plundered the cultural objects of the peoples of Africa during colonisation. Today, in the era of neocolonialism, acculturation is carried out through modern information technologies that promote the Western way of life in the digital space as the highest cultural achievement. This consists mainly in the dissemination of non-traditional values that are opposed to the African way of life. In this regard, the tasks of the fight against neocolonialism in Africa today are to protect and preserve the culture and traditions of the peoples of the continent.
Technological challenges
The biggest mistake Western countries make with respect to African countries is that half a century after gaining independence, Africa still remains only a raw material base for Europe. According to the West, any technological development can pose a threat to European economic hegemony, so the West needs Africa to remain only a raw material base and a market for technological products with high added value. In this regard, any attempt by African countries to get out of this situation is assessed as a challenge and threat to Western hegemony. It should also be noted that half a century after gaining independence, the economy of African countries is still based on the products of colonial domination: coffee, cocoa, oil, gas, etc., and this is not at all accidental. Therefore, the task of combating neocolonialism means ensuring a technological breakthrough for African countries if the continent wants to get out of its current economic situation.
Institutional tasks
Today, the important role of international organisations and regional integration associations is obvious, in particular because in modern realities no state can survive alone. The goal of international organisations (regional integration associations) is to solve urgent common problems that no one state can handle on its own. In this regard, African states create or join already created regional or universal mechanisms: the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the African Union (AU), the UN, etc. On the one hand, if the participation of African countries in these various organisations allows for specific problems to be solved, then on the other hand, many questions arise about their weight in the work of these organisations. By and large, it can be noted that African countries play a secondary role in the UN. To some extent, they carry out the tasks of the Metropolis, for example, when voting in the UN General Assembly. The author of this article talks about this in detail in his monograph titled Africa in the System of Modern International Relations in the Context of the SMO in Ukraine, referring to the votes of African countries on the resolutions of the General Assembly on the Ukrainian crisis. In addition, it can also be noted that the institutions created by African countries themselves have become instruments of influence on African states. One can cite the example of ECOWAS, whose authority has been seriously undermined today in connection with the crisis in the Sahel, since Western countries use the organisation to solve their geopolitical political problems in the region. Regarding the AU, the question of its autonomy also arises, since the bulk of the budget necessary for its functioning and the organisation of its work falls on the European Union and certain non-African countries. Thus, the sovereignty of African states in the international arena will not be guaranteed if the tasks of autonomy are not resolved. The emergence of new alternatives, such as BRICS, can help strengthen the sovereignty of African countries in the international arena.
Tasks to ensure defence and security
The humanitarian situation in Africa leaves much to be desired. Statistics on the number of wars, internally displaced persons and refugees in Africa, malnutrition, and the increase in morbidity on the continent are impressive. Long-term trust in other actors for their security has only led to the weakening of countries in the field of defence. This explains the insecurity of state borders, which contributes to the flourishing of cross-border crime and the weakening of state structures, etc. Today in Africa there are security issues not only in the area ofphysical protection of citizens, their property and institutions, but also in the area of food, energy, etc.
Conclusion
Neocolonialism today, like colonialism yesterday, poisons the lives of many peoples of Africa. It is a serious obstacle to strengthening the military-political, economic, cultural, technological, and food sovereignty of African countries. If the forms and methods of colonialism have changed under neocolonialism, the ultimate goal remains the same – extracting profit through the prism of exploiting people, keeping them in poverty, and turning them into second-class citizens. Thus, we believe that resisting neocolonialism in Africa is the sacred duty of every African state.
