Therefore this campaign is to say to ourselves as Africans that President Mugabe has ceased to be a friend of Africans and must stop punishing his own people. We hope in the future to extent this same approach to all leaders who would attempt to take the African people for granted by abusing them, whatever their grudge.
Kenyan libertarian economist and Director of the Inter Region Economic Network James Shikwati is known to be of Ayittey's cheetah generation.
Dear fellow Africans,
We are embarking upon a campaign to solicit millions of names of Africans who would like to register their protests against African leaders that are bent on destroying the continent and its people. We believe it's time for us to stand up and be counted as folks very concerned and realistically seeking for a very bright future for all African peoples, where we would live in decency and in prosperity.
Hosts of terrible atrocities have happened in the past that have plunged the continent in deep trouble - just take a look around you. We recognize also that these past deeds are already history, they cannot be reversed though they could and must be resolved as soon as possible. However, TODAY and TOMORROW are ours to nurse, cherish, and love. Zimbabwe is a case in point - a TODAY case, a dark prospect for this beautiful country is unfolding right before our eyes. As we all appreciate President Robert Mugabe's great efforts and contributions in the struggle for Zimbabwe's independence, we believe that what he's currently doing is harming his own people and their future rather than harming is enemies.
Therefore this campaign is to say to ourselves as Africans that President Mugabe has ceased to be a friend of Africans and must stop punishing his own people. We hope in the future to extent this same approach to all leaders who would attempt to take the African people for granted by abusing them, whatever their grudge.
If you agree with the above, please send a YES to
myself or to
Sidney who is currently busy working on a signature Billboard/Banner and we would be very grateful if you would support this initiative, which we seriously believe would send a warning to all African leaders that Africans are tired of war and destruction and that Africans want to the continent to develop in PEACE and in SECURITY.
Please lend your support and let's change history. Yes we can!!!
Let's hear from you.
-Prof. George Ayittey
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George Ayittey is a prominent Ghanaian economist, author and president of the Free Africa Foundation in Washington DC. He is a professor at American University and an associate scholar at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. He has championed the argument that "Africa is poor because she is not free", that the primary cause of African poverty is oppression and mismanagement both by colonial powers, then by often equally oppressive native autocrats. He also goes beyond criticism to advocate for specific ways to address the abuses of the past and present; specifically he calls for democratic government, debt reexamination, modernized infrastructure, free market economics, and free trade to promote development.
His books include Africa Unchained: the blueprint for development, Africa in Chaos, The Blue Print of Ghana's Economic Recovery and Africa Betrayed.
Ayittey holds a B.Sc. from the University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana; an M.A. from the University of Western Ontario, London, Canada; and a Ph.D. from the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada. He lives in Lorton, Virginia.
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Talks George Ayittey: Cheetahs vs. Hippos for Africa's future 
