Wish List: Four Virtues Every African President Needs to Display

Contesting for president in any African country, one can expect to face tactics much different than those used by politicians in the West. Compared with to be frank, the Western use of social media, competitive national polls and media campaigns takes a backseat in Africa, where winning elections are often all about doling out cash to grassroots supporters, manipulating foot-soldiers, blatant corruption and lack of accountability. Even though we can lay claim to bouts of democratic governance under specific African regimes like that of South Africa’s Nelson Mandela, dictatorships and anti-democratic means of governance by political leaders such as the late Idi Amin Dada of Uganda are too well known. In this article, I will identify four virtues needed by a president who wants to foster growth and development in Africa. Here are my wish list of four virtues every African president needs to display: