It is true that Africa as a continent never had a joint African dream. This however, does not give developed countries’ NGOs, think tanks and governments the license to mess up the great opportunity presented by modernism for Africans to create an African dream. African intellectuals, business people and policy makers must soberly seek ways to stem the rising tide of developed countries’ intellectual onslaught on the future of Africa.

Under colonialism, Africa boasted of huge percentage of exports to the developed World. Countries such as Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) were touted as the breadbasket of Africa. My parents, who lived a better part of their energetic days during the colonial era, argue that 'things were working' in areas such as security, health and education, save for the liberty of the blacks. A friend in South Africa pointed out recently that apartheid was very efficient when it came to security issues! What is it that makes it difficult for Africans to be able to manage their own affairs effectively?

The few international magazines and newspapers I have read in the last one year appear to have a common story line on Africa; famine, corruption, war and diseases. Proposed solutions that follow these stories are even more intriguing; monetary aid, technical assistance, capacity building and environmentalism among others. Most of African newspapers portray rich nations as characters on a rescue mission in Africa; save for occasional dissent from the likes of former president Moi, President Mugabe and lately Museveni. Are Africans being rescued or killed? 

The Malaria season is here! Sample this: 21 per cent of hospital deaths in Uganda are due to Malaria and 13 per cent of Kenya government hospital deaths are malaria related. The figures exclude all those who die of malaria without ever reaching a health facility. A tiny insect, a mosquito, is wrecking havoc on Africans but they have little they can do because they have to ensure that they do not loose their agricultural market in Europe. African children must continue to die because according to the head of the Economic, Trade and social sector desk at the EU delegation in Uganda, consumer organizations in Europe are likely to pressure supermarkets not to sell Ugandan products in Europe.  "We have advised the government that they are taking a risk if they go ahead with this DDT use," The East African quoted Tom Vens.   

The Ugandan Health Minister, Jim Muhwezi is reported to have insisted that Uganda will go ahead and use DDT to kill mosquitoes by spraying it indoors and refuted claims that DDT causes impotence, infertility, neurological damage, and cancer among other reasons that activists cite for America and Europe's fear of the pesticide. Solution by western think tanks: use treated mosquito nets and let the mosquitoes go and ask for foreign aid to purchase anti malaria drugs! 

On the famine front, drought is wrecking havoc; locusts and other pests are destroying food crops in Africa. According to African Union figures, the continent has the lowest fertilizer use in the World at 25 kilograms per hectare, and losing 30 per cent of harvested crop due to poor storage. But what do activists in Europe recommend? African baby-sitting experts such as the Pesticide Action Network of United Kingdom are on the frontline fighting the use and possible introduction of pesticides in Africa. One of their reports entitled 'Pesticides, Poverty and Food Security,' concludes that 'Pesticide reliance imposes particularly high burdens on poorer farmers, many of whom are women, and generates additional costs in health and loss of livestock, and undermines farm productivity.' 

Activists' solution: prioritize alternative methods of field and storage pest management, support use of bio-pesticides, invest in organic production for local and export markets and wait for food aid if these methods fail. But according to Dr. Prasanna Srinivasan of India, since 1961, agricultural output has outstripped global population growth by 20% with a proportionate increase in per capita availability of food. He attributes the increase by 60 to 70% of agricultural output of key food crops to improved agricultural technologies. 

What the international headline grabbing images of the perceived poverty in Africa do not inform the World is the double role international activists' play in Africa's plight, they fight known solutions and offer ideal solutions leaving Africa static and desperate. Africans must stop them before the present disastrous trend reaches irrevocable levels.

Developed countries are playing around with the lives of Africans by putting up barriers to development. Africa is besieged. Africa cannot export unless it meets the stringent anti-chemical standards set up by the developed nations. African children must keep dying until such a time some developed country intellectual will approve use of certain methods to destroy mosquitoes. Africans must continue to perish due to lack of food because developed country experts forbid the use of technology to turn around the famine situation.

African intellectuals are a big let down. When will they independently scrutinize some of these so-called international standards to establish whether a whole generation of people is being destroyed in the name of the environment? Africans must put up a team of independent legal and scientific experts to establish the authenticity of the anti technology activism; should their arguments be found to be driven by mere greed to raise funds, they should be held accountable for each and every African death and pay for it. We must nurture and promote an African dream.