American President vs. African President

Who has the tougher job? (An open letter to Obama)*

President Obama,

As you meet with my president, Atta Mills, I wonder how you would have fared as an African president. We’re constantly reminded about how the American president has the toughest job in the world. Really? In fact, I propose that the average African president’s job is tougher than yours.

Let’s face it, you essentially govern by options. For any given issue, the sophisticated government machinery works a few options up to your desk:

- Option 1: Do nothing - pros and cons.

- Option 2: Attack Iraq - pros and cons.

- Option 3: Bomb Iran - pros and cons.

- Option 4: A combination of 2 and 3.

- Recommended action.

So, as you yourself argued during your campaign, the American presidency is really about temperament and judgment. Once that judgment is made, the sophisticated government machinery executes it.

Now try being the president of, say, Niger. The government (a word herein loosely used) infrastructure to carry out your decisions is, shall we say, limited. For that job you need a lot more than temperament and judgment, brother.

First you have to be a doctor, because with an infant mortality rate of more than 100 deaths per 1000 live births, your country needs all hands on deck.

Then you have to be a doctor (Ph.D. type) in economics, because no one has figured out how to get the economy going.

Then you have to be a constitutional lawyer, because the whole rule of law thing needs some work.

You have to be a computer geek, just in case you have to change your own hard drive.

You’re lucky you’re a good writer, because you will be writing your own speeches.

But better learn to be a good marksman, so you can guard yourself against your…well…bodyguards.

But, most important, you have to be God, because God knows that country needs some rain.

Trouble navigating the separation of powers? Oh, Somalia’s got two up on you; it has at least three governments. Go south to your father’s native land, Kenya, and you would have to share executive authority.

Racial tensions? Try ethnic tensions –among 250 ethnic groups! Go and ask the Nigerian president.

You want war? You got war–within your own borders! Ask the Ugandan president.

Recession? O.K., a rate cut here, a bailout there; a tax cut here, infrastructure spending there; a green job here there, a blue collar job there. How about 200 million percent inflation? That’s what Morgan Tsvangirai is working with. So any meaningful bailout in Zimbabwe would have to be in the quadrillions. Try passing that through Congress (or past Mugabe).

Don’t even talk about double-digit unemployment. There’s double-digit and there’s double-digit. Tsvangirai’s got 90%. What you got?

Looking for shovel-ready projects? O.K., I admit. On this, an African president has more options. For instance, the president of DRC could easily quadruple the 300 mile road network for a country the size of Western Europe? You could also find hundreds of thousands of hoe-ready projects across the continent without digging too deep.

No child left behind? Try most children left behind.

Senate seat for sale? How about a continent for sale? The Chinese can teach you how.

Alternative sources of energy? Let’s start small—with consistent supply of energy.

Dependence on foreign oil? Talk to the Nigerian president about missing domestic oil.

Budget deficit? I give you HIPC (Highly Indebted Poor Country).

Banks too big to fail? Try DRC, a whole country too big to fail, as *The Economist* describes it.

Foreign policy challenges? You’re lucky most of your challenges are thousands of miles away. The president of Central African Republic is not so lucky. He shares borders with Chad, Sudan and DRC. Want to trade places?

Upon inspection, you have a heavy job in terms of impact on the greatest number of people, but in terms of work work, sorry, you’ve got nothing on Kagame. Tell Sarah Palin if she really wants a challenge, I can arrange citizenship for her in, say, Guinea Bissau.

So while you’re in Ghana, enjoy our warmth and ask President Atta Mills for a few lessons about governance.

………………………………..

*By W.W. (Wonyim wo a Wonyim wo). *

*The author is a public policy analyst in Washington, DC. *