George Christopher

To keep , to keep growing, to keep choosing , that too is part of the making

Africa Week 2026 came to a memorable close today at UNESCO, with a distinguished closing ceremony attended by the Director-General of UNESCO, Mr. Khaled El-Enany, the Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, H.E. Judith Suminwa Tuluka, and other high-level dignitaries.

The ceremony also welcomed French-Congolese rapper , whose presence added a vibrant cultural touch to the celebration.

As this year’s edition comes to an end, Africa Week once again reaffirmed the richness, creativity, resilience, and unity of the African continent within UNESCO’s multilateral space.

On another série of “Rethinking Governance in Africa” | The Politics of Dependency in Africa | More articles on my LinkedIn page

| One of the most effective ways political systems maintain control is by keeping large populations economically vulnerable.

In many societies, poverty does not simply exist as an economic problem. It also becomes politically useful.

Where citizens lack stable economic opportunities, politicians often position themselves as providers of temporary relief rather than builders of sustainable systems. Access to jobs, contracts, scholarships, welfare, or opportunities can become tied to political loyalty instead of institutional fairness.

And over time, dependency gradually replaces empowerment.

Citizens begin relying on individuals rather than functioning public systems. Political patronage becomes normalized. Elections become emotionally tied to survival.

The tragedy is that dependency weakens accountability. People struggling economically may find it difficult to challenge systems they rely on for immediate needs.

This is why genuine development requires more than economic growth statistics. It also requires reducing the political vulnerability of ordinary citizens.

Because societies become healthier when citizens can engage politically from a position of dignity rather than desperation.

Today, I officiated my last game of the 2025/2026 football season.

Funny enough, my last two games of the season came with heavy rain, and today I was completely drenched from head to toe. At some point, I could literally feel water filling up inside my boots. But strangely, I loved it.

I have come to realise that the value we give to what we do often determines the joy we derive from doing it. For me, anything I venture into, I try to pour my heart into it. And when I can find pleasure, growth, and satisfaction in the process, that is success to me.

It has now been three years since I became a licensed referee, and the journey has taught me a lot: discipline, decision-making, patience, confidence, emotional control, and the importance of standing firm even when not everyone agrees with you.

I am grateful for the journey so far, for the lessons, the difficult games, the good games, the rain, the pressure, and the growth.

Looking forward to next season. ⚽️

As many African countries are preparing for their major elections, including Nigeria, this thoughts came to mind.

Democracy is often reduced to elections, voting, and political transitions. But I increasingly think democracy cannot function sustainably without political education.

A society may hold regular elections and still struggle deeply with democratic culture if large portions of the population remain politically manipulated, economically desperate, or disconnected from civic responsibility. Voting alone does not automatically produce accountability. Citizens must also understand institutions, public policy, governance structures, and the long-term consequences of political decisions.
Unfortunately, in many African societies, political engagement is driven more by emotion, survival, identity, or short-term incentives than informed civic consciousness. Politicians understand this reality and often build campaigns around fear, tribal loyalty, financial inducement, or religious sentiment rather than substantive policy discussions.

The result is that democracy sometimes becomes transactional rather than transformational. And perhaps this is why many citizens become frustrated after elections. Expectations remain high, but the political culture itself was never truly built around informed participation. Political education does not mean turning every citizen into a political scientist. It means developing populations capable of asking difficult questions, understanding governance beyond slogans, and recognizing that democracy requires responsibility from both leaders and citizens.

Without that foundation, elections alone may struggle to produce the kind of governance many societies hope for.

One of the greatest tragedies in many African societies is not simply corruption itself, but how easily ethnicity and religion are used to protect it.

Too often, political accountability disappears the moment leadership failures are questioned. The conversation immediately shifts from competence to identity. A failed leader is no longer defended because of results, but because he is “our own.” Criticism becomes interpreted as tribal hatred, religious bias, or an attack on a community rather than a legitimate demand for better governance.

And that is how many African societies have become trapped.

Once people become emotionally loyal to identity over principles, politicians no longer need to govern well. They only need to sustain division. They only need to keep citizens suspicious of one another long enough to avoid scrutiny themselves. The painful irony is that ordinary citizens from different tribes or religions often suffer the same realities - poverty, unemployment, insecurity, inflation, and weak institutions. Yet instead of uniting around competence and accountability, many African societies remain politically fragmented along identity lines carefully maintained by elites who understand that divided people are easier to control.

In my opinion, while diversity is often presented as Africa’s greatest problem, it should, in many ways, have been one of its greatest strengths. Because the deeper problem is not diversity itself, but the manipulation of that diversity by political actors who profit from division, confusion, and emotional politics.

There is no serious conversation about Africa’s underdevelopment that can ignore colonialism, exploitation, or the long-term effects of imperial interference. Those realities shaped institutions, distorted economies, and left deep political fractures across the continent. Africa is also relatively young in its post-colonial statehood, and governance, like every institution, evolves with time and experience.

But I sometimes wonder whether we overemphasize these explanations to the point where they unintentionally shield present failures from accountability. Because decades after independence, many African states are still being destroyed less by diversity or foreign control, and more by internal corruption, greed, and political violence. Roads collapse not simply because colonial borders were badly drawn, but because public funds disappear into private pockets. Hospitals fail not because Africa is culturally diverse, but because leadership often rewards loyalty over competence.

There is a quote often attributed to Plato which says: “The penalty for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.” Whether entirely literal or not, the idea behind it feels painfully relevant in many societies today. In several African states, governance has gradually become accessible not necessarily to the most competent or intellectually prepared minds, but often to those with the deepest pockets, the strongest political godfathers, or the greatest capacity to manipulate public emotions.

This is not to dismiss history. It is to say that history alone cannot explain why some nations with difficult colonial pasts progressed, while others remain trapped in cycles of dysfunction. At some point, African societies must confront the uncomfortable reality that corruption is not merely one of the problems. In many cases, it is the system protecting all the others.

For many African nations, political independence represented the end of colonial rule and the beginning of self-determination. National flags were raised, constitutions were drafted, and the promise of sovereignty became a defining symbol of hope across the continent.

But decades later, I sometimes wonder whether independence and freedom are always the same thing. Because true freedom is not merely the absence of foreign control. It is also the presence of functioning institutions, accountable leadership, economic stability, public trust, and the ability of citizens to live with dignity under systems that protect rather than exploit them.

Many African states are politically independent, yet large parts of their populations remain trapped in systems shaped by poverty, corruption, weak institutions, and political instability. In some places, citizens still feel disconnected from the state itself. Governments often appear distant, inaccessible, or designed primarily to serve political elites rather than the public.

This is not to ignore the enduring effects of colonialism. Colonial structures undeniably disrupted indigenous systems, distorted economies, and left behind fragile political foundations. But at some point, societies must also ask difficult questions about what has happened after independence.
Why have some nations with painful colonial histories managed to build stronger systems, while others continue to struggle with recurring governance failures?

Perhaps the deeper question is whether freedom without institutional discipline, accountability, and responsible leadership can truly produce national progress.

Political independence was an important beginning. But genuine freedom requires far more than the transfer of power. It requires the difficult work of building efficient systems.

For some weeks now, I have been thinking deeply about governance, political culture, institutional failure, leadership, and the realities shaping development across many African societies.

Not from the position of someone who claims to have all the answers, but from a place of observation, reflection, and genuine concern for the future of the continent.

Too often, conversations around Africa’s challenges stop at colonialism, diversity, corruption or external interference. While those factors undeniably matter, I also believe we must become more willing to have honest conversations about weak institutions, political culture, accountability, civic consciousness, and the systems we continue to normalize internally.

So, I’ll be starting an African political/governance commentary LinkedIn series on: “Rethinking Governance in Africa.”

LinkedIn profile: Udom George Christopher

The series will explore various petinent themes and the broader question of what genuine development truly requires.

My goal is not outrage or political sensationalism. It is to encourage thoughtful reflection, honest dialogue, and deeper conversations about governance, leadership, and the future of African societies.

🧘🏾‍♂️💥