The Roles of Peace and Security, Political Leadership, and Entrepreneurship in the Socio-Economic Development of Emerging Countries: A Compendium of Lessons Learnt from Sub-Saharan Africa

By Ambassador Major-General Francis Adu-Amanfoh

The works of contemporary global security and political analysts, and experiences from todays highly industrialized nations, conclude that the existence of peace and security, effective and exemplary political leadership, and sustained entrepreneurship are critical ingredients and catalysts for national socio-economic development. Certainly, these ingredients have helped in building the nations of the developed world, but how can these ingredients help the nations of the emerging world? This book searches for a response and lessons to be learnt. Hence, the purpose of the book, essentially, is to examine the roles that peace and security, political leadership, and entrepreneurship can play in the sustainable socio-economic development of emerging countries, exemplified by sub-Saharan Africa. The book first reviews the nature of the emerging world, discusses the subject matter in detail, and concludes with a compendium of lessons to be learnt by, primarily, political leaders, national security practitioners, entrepreneurs and investors, and academicians.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Jan 31, 2014
• ISBN: 9781491891605

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© 2014 Ambassador Major-General Francis Adu-Amanfoh (Ret). All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 01/28/2014

ISBN: 978-1-4918-9159-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4918-9158-2 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4918-9160-5 (e)

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Contents

Foreword

Preface

Chapter 1 The nature of the emerging world

Chapter 2 Understanding the concepts of peace and security

Chapter 3 Role of peace and security in the development of emerging countries: Impact of socio-cultural challenges

Chapter 4 Role of peace and security: Causes and inhibitions of political violence and disruptions

Chapter 5 Role of peace and security: Impact of economic challenges

Chapter 6 Political leadership and national socio-economic development: Reflections on general concepts of leadership

Chapter 7 The art and science of political leadership: Impact on national socio-economic development

Chapter 8 Entrepreneurship and national socio-economic development: Concepts and theories

Chapter 9 The magic of small- and medium-scale enterprises: Qualitative research on Ghana

Chapter 10 The qualitative research on Ghana: Discussion and interpretation of the findings

Chapter 11 Compendium of lessons to be learnt

List of Acronyms

About the Author

About the Book

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To the entire Amanfo family, including generations yet to be born.

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Foreword

My many years engagement in politics eventually brought me to the helm of affairs of governance of the Republic of Ghana on the seventh day of the month of January in the year 2000 AD as the head of state. The subsequent eight-year, two-term regime I served in as president and commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Ghana, offered me unique opportunities and deeper insights into the workings of nationhood and the importance of peace and security in creating the stable environment needed for national progress and development. Certainly, the opportunities that were encountered and the personal experiences and competences gained from them now embolden me to also conclude that visionary and effective political leadership, required to drive government policies and programmes, is a keystone in the pursuit of national socio-economic development.

One of the goals which my government pursued rigorously throughout the eight-year tenure was rural development. The key drivers for the attainment of this goal turned out to be the private sector and small- and medium-scale entrepreneurship. It is in the light of these personal experiences that I find this book by General Adu-Amanfoh, as I affectionately used to call him whilst serving my regime as head of defence intelligence, and later as my ambassador to the Republic of Liberia, very enlightening and thought-provoking.

General Adu-Amanfoh brings to bear on this well-researched book, his acquired knowledge and proficiency over the years as a global peace and security expert, military intelligence strategist, diplomat and corporate executive. He makes sterling revelations regarding the roles of peace and security, political leadership, and entrepreneurship in the socio-economic development of emerging countries. The depth of research, various viewpoints identified, and the cogent conclusions arrived at make the book so instructive, authoritative, and a must-read for political leaders, particularly of emerging countries; national security practitioners, including the leadership of the military and civilian police; academics, especially those in the fields of political science, international affairs, and strategic management studies; and also entrepreneurs or investors seeking inroads into the emerging world. The book will also make interesting reading by the general public of emerging countries, principally of sub-Saharan Africa, researchers, and other persons in academia worldwide who may be seeking wider knowledge about the emerging world and Africa.

General Adu-Amanfoh introduces the book by reviewing the nature of, and challenges confronting less-developed and emerging countries. In subsequent chapters the author, chapter by chapter, addresses the purpose of the book which is to validate how positively sustainable peace and security, effective political leadership (encompassing servant, visionary, transformational, charismatic and diplomatic leadership), and specifically endogenous rural small- and medium-scale entrepreneurship could impact national socio-economic development of emerging countries.

I am very much fascinated by the succinct compendium of lessons to be learnt, as put together in the concluding chapter of the book, which I find as compelling to be read. I therefore take this opportunity to congratulate Ambassador Major-General Francis Adu-Amanfoh for this masterpiece of a book.

Dr John Agyekum Kufuor

Former President, Republic of Ghana

Preface

In contemporary times, a strategic group of nations is emerging from the category once labelled ‘less developed countries’ (LDCs) or ‘the third world’. This strategic comity of nations constituting the emerging world is presently in transition. They are countries that are now ready to shed the garment of developing and subsistence status in order to wear the cloak of developed and industrialized societies.

The hallmark of LDCs has been their inability to attain sustainable economic growth. Though they do not lack natural resources, they are in this predicament because they lack adequate cultural values, social structure, and political order necessary for industrialization. Lessons learnt from how the developed countries, the so-called First and Second Worlds, achieved massive socio-economic growth and national development conclude that the existence of peace and security, the presence of effective political leaders, and a shift towards well-strategized entrepreneurship leading to industrialization were the key mechanisms. If the countries of the emerging world are to succeed as buoyant nations, there must be a paradigm shift. It is the search for the ingredients of these critical mechanisms of sustainable peace and security, effective political leadership and entrepreneurship that have strongly motivated me to write this book. I am very sure that the reader will find that my motivation was well placed.

The main theme of the book is that the existence of peace and security, which provide a stable environment in any country for other things to occur; effective political leadership, which drives the attainment of the national vision; and well-strategized entrepreneurship, which leads to industrialization, when put together, constitute the engine that could propel rapid socio-economic growth and development of emerging countries. The book focuses on the emerging world but profusely cites examples from countries of sub-Saharan Africa, often considered a world of despair.

The opening chapter reviews the nature of the emerging world in order to refresh the mind of the reader about the kind of countries the book discusses. Chapter 2 gives an understanding of the concepts of peace and security, and Chapters 3 to 5 assess the impact of socio-cultural challenges, political violence and disruptions, and economic dislocations on national peace and stability. The overall finding is that the consequence of all these inhibitions is stunted national growth and development.

Chapter 6 reflects on general concepts of leadership, while Chapter 7 delves into the art and science of political leadership and its impact on national socio-economic development. In the main, the viewpoint is that political leadership is all-embracing and encompasses servant, visionary, transformational, charismatic, and diplomatic leadership, which are discussed in detail in this chapter. To be able to drive the national vision, development policies, and agenda, political leaders need to be skilful in all these types of leadership. Chapters 8 to 10 examine entrepreneurship and its role in the socio-economic development of the countries of the emerging world, with Ghana as a case study for confirming the magical impact of small- and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs). It is worth noting that Ghana was selected for the study because at the time it was considered one of the fastest growing economies in sub-Saharan Africa. Here, the book concludes that though entrepreneurship has been the gateway to economic development in the developed world, large-scale entrepreneurship could present grave challenges in emerging countries. The view therefore is that in emerging countries, endogenous SMEs are the critical and top priority alternative for rapid socio-economic growth.

Chapter 11 concludes the book as a compendium of lessons to be learnt, primarily by political leaders, national security practitioners (especially the senior leadership of the military and civilian police), political science professionals and students, other academics, and entrepreneurs and investors seeking inroads into the emerging world.

This book could not have seen the light of day without the help and support of many personalities and entities. My utmost gratitude goes to the Almighty God for the wisdom, healthy life, and strength with which he has endowed me. My next words of thanks go to His Excellency Dr John Agyekum Kufuor, former president of the Republic of Ghana, during whose two-term regime I served first as head of defence intelligence (2000 to 2005) and second as ambassador to the Republic of Liberia (2006 to 2009), both of which positions offered me unique learning opportunities, experiences, and competences. I thank him also for graciously consenting to author the foreword of the book.

Chapters 8 to 10 essentially derive from my dissertation, which was a requirement of the MBA program of the University of Liverpool in the UK. It is therefore appropriate for me to recognize and express my sincerest appreciation to all those who made it possible. Specifically, I thank Dr Neila Holland for being my dissertation adviser; Dr Monica Lapkoff for being my general dissertation instructor; and Sandra Mohabir-McKinley for being my faculty manager throughout the dissertation. Also, I need to express appreciation and thanks to the participants who made the qualitative research on Ghana possible. To all those participants who offered to be interviewed or agreed to have informal conversations with me, I convey my profound gratitude. In this wise, I thank very much the CEO of Ampofo & Cordt Mining Ltd for immense contributions.

Certainly, I need to thank AuthorHouse for agreeing to publish the book. Also, I am obliged to convey words of thanks to all those faceless personalities who taught me or supported me throughout my years of service to attain military generalship and to become a diplomat.

Above all, I take this opportunity to express my most profound gratitude to the members of the entire Amanfo family, too many to be named here, who have been with me through thick and thin. To all of you, including generations unborn, I dedicate this book and ask for God’s abundant blessings.

Ambassador Major-General Francis Adu-Amanfoh Accra, Ghana

1

The nature of the emerging world

The works of contemporary global security and political analysts and experiences from today’s highly industrialized nations conclude that the existence of peace and security, effective and exemplary political leadership, and sustained entrepreneurship are critical ingredients and catalysts for national socio-economic development. Certainly, these ingredients have helped in building the nations of the developed world. But how far can this viewpoint be true for the nations of the emerging world? This book searches for a response and lessons to be learnt. The purpose of the book is to examine the roles that peace and security, political leadership, and entrepreneurship can play in the sustainable socio-economic development of emerging countries. It therefore stands to reason that the focus of this first chapter is to refresh the reader’s mind of the nature of the emerging world.

The term emerging world is used in contemporary times to describe countries that are considered to be in a transitional phase between developing and developed status (‘Emerging markets’). The term is an updated and more politically correct version of the terms used in the 1970s and 1980s, such as ‘Third World’, ‘less-developed countries’ (LDCs), or ‘underdeveloped countries’ (‘Emerging Markets Defined’). It is relevant to remind readers that during the Cold War years, ‘Third World’ was used to describe the former colonial, mostly non-Western, largely non-white, less-developed countries (Spanier 1984: 338). Though these nations constituted the unitary bloc implied by the label, there was considerable diversity among them: in history and experience, in religion and culture, in population and resources, and in ideology and political and economic systems (ibid. 338). Some of these nations were more developed than others. Some had very large populations, whereas many had small populations. Some possessed sizeable resources but others were not well endowed. This notwithstanding, in their anti-colonialism and determination to modernize, these nations were distinct from the First, or Western industrial world, and the Second, or Soviet-led Communist world (ibid. 338). Seen as poor nations, they were bound by a set of common attitudes: anger against the Western industrial nations and a sense that the Third World countries did not control their own destinies.

The right to national self-determination became a key issue after World War II. Throughout Asia and Africa, former colonies sought national independence. The common denominator of this global nationalist revolution was a fundamental urge to be free from the control of former colonial powers (ibid. 339). From the beginning, colonialism resulted in humiliation and engendered reactive nationalism to achieve dignity and equality. Accompanying this drive for national independence was the determination to attain a higher standard of living and to abolish the abject poverty and misery of past centuries.

Today, though many of the countries of the Third World have gained national independence, they still remain economically less-developed countries. They continue to live on subsistence agriculture because they have not acquired modern tools, factories, machinery, dams, and so forth with which to increase productivity (ibid. 339). Though they generally do not lack natural resources, they have lacked the cultural values, social structure, and political order necessary for industrialization.

Overall, the hallmark of the LDCs has been their inability to attain sustainable economic growth. Lessons learnt from how developed countries achieved continued socio-economic growth conclude that the existence of peace and security, good political leadership, and well-strategized entrepreneurship leading to industrialization have played critical roles.

In 1984, the dividing line between developed and less-developed societies was usually pegged at an average income per person of US$500. At the time, about 70 per cent of the world’s population living in new nations had the per capita income of less than US$280 a year or 77 cents a day (ibid. 339). In contrast, the annual average per capita incomes in Western Europe, Japan, and the United States were astronomical by the end of 1978. The American figure stood at US$7,572, and the figures for West Germany, Sweden, and Switzerland were even higher (ibid. 339-40).

Whereas Western incomes continue to rise, those in the LDCs remained at a virtual standstill. The basic reason is the industrial West has had the capital for further growth, but new nations have suffered from lack of capital. It is also worth noting that the dividing line between developed and less-developed countries is not purely economic. It is also reflected in differences in infant mortality, life expectancy, general health, availability of housing and consumer goods, calorie intake per person, and sources of energy (ibid. 340).

Fortunately for the world, there is now a gradual paradigm shift. A newer group of nations, which has embarked upon massive industrialization and is growing fast, is emerging. It is this strategic group of newer nations that constitutes what is now popularly known as the ‘emerging world’.

The joint venture company of the Financial Times and the London Stock Exchange (FTSE) further classifies the emerging world into ‘advanced’ and ‘secondary’ emerging countries on the