Why leaders of business need moral scrutiny

“Not one American in fifty thousand has any idea of the potential strength of Africa.”  ~ Eugene Write

Time magazine named Guinea Bissau as the world’s first narco state—that is a country almost completely under the control of drug cartels. It is estimated that a quarter of all cocaine consumed in Western Europe (worth US$18 billion or Sh1.54 trillion) transits through this country from South America.

The illicit drug trade has brought with it an extraordinary rise in violent crime, with abductions, murders and threats becoming commonplace.

In 2009 the country’s president was assassinated in what was believed to be in revenge for the killing of the head of the armed forces.

The social fabric has almost entirely broken down; substance abuse, unheard of 10 years ago is rampant countrywide with an estimated 20 per cent to 30 per cent of the country’s young population addicted to crack cocaine.

Danger

There are virtually no prisons; those that exist allow inmates to leave from 2pm to 6pm with many prisoners returning because the jails offer a free meal. This makes prison useless as a deterrent to crime.

There is now danger that drug money will find its way into politics, leaving the control of the country in the hands of vicious drug lords. If this trend continues, Guinea Bissau is destined for doom.

How did this state of affairs come about? How did this proud African country come to such dire straits? How did the country end up selling its soul for so little?

First was the abdication of Leaders of Family Business in taking up an active role in matters politics and leadership. Leaving the armed forces and crooked politicians to dictate terms since independence has led to a situation in which no elected president has completed a five year term since the country became free.

Second was the abject poverty combined with the lack of structures to support the country’s development agenda. This led to a state of desperation which was easily misused by rich drug peddlers.

Third and most debilitating was the unregulated influx of individuals with questionable morals ostensibly to set up businesses but who ultimately turns the country into one of the largest transfer points for narcotic drugs.

Allowing these soulless individuals to gradually take over this country led to the suppression of African cultural values which has led to its current state.

Because this continent is the richest in natural resources and has 27 per cent of the world’s arable land, it is quite attractive to countries and wealthy individuals who would like to exploit its latent potential and assets.

Seeing that most of this property is in the hands of family business, it is critical that they stand firm and keep hold of the resources for the sake of future generations and for the sake of the country’s sovereignty. To do otherwise spells doom for the country.

Leaders of Family Business in Africa should be acutely aware of moves made by corporate entities and republics to muscle their way on to the continent— a process that may inevitably mean the demise or increasing irrelevance of family businesses from the economic scene and the gradual ceding of property rights to “soulless people”.

These have insatiable appetites for resources and lack the moral constraints that allow them to distinguish between right and wrong.

Family businesses should lead the fight against the domination of such faceless entities in order to ensure that the country’s resources are safely in the hands of morally-grounded family owned business ventures.

Greed for money and short term profits at both government and individual level is slowly leading to the sale of strategic property with high production potential to suspect individuals and organisations.

Family businesses that employ long -term strategic thinking are the last bastion of the country’s freedom.

Mutua is a Humphrey Fellow and a leadership development consultant focused on family businesses. Email: [email protected]