Many developing countries in Africa have been saddled with an aged long political rhetoric of self-sufficiency, reliance, and economic independence as the desired development model.

Literature is replete with discussions on how African countries can develop through homegrown solutions to the myriads of development predicaments facing the continent. All these discussions end at nothing. I recall some of the rhetorics from many African leaders and wish to quote just a few.

1."Self-reliance is the key to African development. We must stop begging and start building." - Julius Nyerere, former President of Tanzania.

2. "The era of African dependence on foreign aid is over. We must now focus on self-reliance and internal resource mobilization." - Olusegun Obasanjo, former President of Nigeria

3. "African solutions for African problems. We must take ownership of our development and stop relying on external solutions." - Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former President of Liberia.

The above quotes and many others emphasize the importance of African self-reliance, unity, and cooperation in achieving development and prosperity. Sadly, we do not walk the talk and the situation is far worse than before. I appreciate the intricacies of development, but the inactions of our leaders must be largely responsible for the slow spate of doing things on our own for sustainable development.

It is trite knowledge that most African countries from their history of colonialism have an unrepentant penchant for foreign goods, foreign aid, grants, and much economic cooperation with the benefits of handouts. Indeed, most African countries have not been able to run their budgets without loans and grants from Western countries.

Apparently, in our quest to develop to meet our global peers, we rely so much on the West as a panacea to our problems. Many of the attempted homegrown solutions are always unsustainable because of the lack of continuous commitment. It is largely so because of our history of reliance on foreign aid.

We appear to be in a comfort zone with the handouts that mostly come with some invisible conditions, ostensibly, to the benefit of the West.

According to the African Development Bank, many African countries rely heavily on foreign aid, with some countries receiving up to 50% of their budget from external sources. The World Bank reports that Africa's economic growth has been slow, with an average annual growth rate of 3.4% between 2010 and 2019. The statistics present a gloomy picture of our situation.

This sad narrative has manifested even more conspicuously, as the West now become more reluctant in dishing out handouts to African countries. Global politics has assumed different dynamics as powerful countries compete for dominance in influence and power. It does appear that countries like the United States of America and the United Kingdom now want to give up or deal with Africans at a minimal level.

Conversely, China, Russia, Germany, and others still strive to gain more influence through economic cooperation with African countries.

the reliance on handouts has furthered our development conundrum and eroded our image and dignity in the comity of nations. Such support has determined our loyalty and reverence to those nations. In the rather competitive global economy in which we find ourselves now, our loyalty must be to ourselves, and friendship extended to others for collaborative purposes.

The history of donor support and political alliances should not make us adamant in creating our paths of economic advancement. In this paper, I attempt to advocate for a change of attitude as we must move away from the rhetoric and take pragmatic steps to propel growth with our expertise, resources, and ideology.

I am, however, not oblivious to the fact, that, no man is an island. I hold maximum respect for international relations, but we should move away from thinking that we can become an advanced country just with donor support that comes with the ideology of other countries. I always say that a country without a strategy and ideology could only end up a puppet of another country.

International relations have become a global necessity, but we should use them as a vehicle for strategic partnerships and not as an instrument for enslaving our continent.

Irrespective of which donor country is available to offer these handouts, it has been proven that

The Current president of America, Donald Trump has been undertaking certain measures, reviewing immigration policies and rationalizing support for African countries. These actions have caused many Africans to be deported to Africa. In some cases, Africans are chased like animals around to have them chased out of America. Indeed, America does not bother about the economic repercussions on Africa.

The dignity of the African is relegated because the American agenda is supreme. Many African countries are going to record increases in unemployment rates, high dependency ratios, and high budget deficits following this “policy and isolationist strategy” by President Donald Trump.

Additionally, America has also reduced development programs by withdrawing some critical funding, leaving many countries, including Ghana stranded. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID). USAID was set up in 1960 to administer humanitarian aid programs on behalf of the US government. Africa is a big beneficiary of USAID. In Ghana, it is estimated that the country has a funding shortfall of a colossal 156 million US dollars.

This shortfall has serious ramifications on the health and wealth of the nation. if we had started long ago taking steps to mobilize resources locally, this decision by the government of America would not have left us stranded. From the impact of COVID-19, the Russia-Ukraine war, and now, the withdrawal of such critical funding support, we must learn some bitter lessons and go back to the drawing board.

As a continent, we must prioritize regional integration, economic cooperation, and unity to harness the abundant natural resources in our land. I believe that with shared knowledge and purpose, there is a lot we can achieve collectively without going around the globe begging. We have the market and resources, but lack strategies, unity, and commitment to our course.

Some African countries, because of the influence of some of these handouts, betray the agenda of economic emancipation in the continent. The current events should provide a new opportunity for a deeper reflection. It is time to walk the talk of the lofty rhetoric of self-reliance. There is no better time than now.

Besides the above, African countries must protect their political sovereignties, eliminate the culture of dependency syndrome, and protect our sociocultural values against annihilation by foreign culture if we learn to stop depending on handouts learn how to mobilize resources locally, and invest much in the private sector. This we can do if we commit to our regional cooperation objectives.

On the global stage, countries may share and exchange resources with other countries and offer some support to friendly nations when the need be, but when such support has killed the initiatives of another country such that they can only depend on the support of others, it is no longer cooperation. The culture of dependency transforms cooperation into a different relationship, when the donor country may want to extend its power and influence to the recipient, altering sovereignty, and imposing ideologies including cultural values.

It is not surprising that many African countries have not been able to exploit their natural resources. The influence of donor support is counterproductive in many respects. The continent must look for economic relations that ensure economic growth and self-sufficiency and not continue to look for handouts that are tied to stringent conditions that affect us in diverse ways.

I conclude with a quote from Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former president of Liberia, “African solutions for African problems. We must take ownership of our development and stop relying on external solutions.”