Africa has many natural resources that present opportunity for the country, However, according to Moran, Abramson, and Moran (2014), “Africa has been classified as the Third World in economic terms–it contributes only 1 percent of the global economic output” (p. 506). Furthermore, “this poor continent is often viewed as a land of tragedy or promise because of its rich natural and human resources that have not been fully developed” (Moran, et. al., p. 506).
This economic opportunity that exists in Africa was recently discussed by President Donald Trump. On September 20, 2017, President Trump spoke at a luncheon during the 72nd United Nations General Assembly. According to an article from CNBC, the luncheon that President Trump hosted included attendees that are leaders of the nations of the large and diverse African continent (Wilkie, 2017). At this luncheon, President Trump made the statement “I’ve had so many friends going to your countries, trying to get rich. I congratulate you. They’re spending a lot of money” (Wilkie, 2017). While it seemed as though President Trump intended for this statement to the African leaders to be delivered as a compliment, it was not perceived as such.
President Trump’s statement to the leaders of the diverse African continent poses a few important points. First, it points to the fact that there is in fact a great deal of opportunity within Africa that is not being capitalized on, but there is a possibility of this happening. However, by friends of Trump’s expanding their business ventures to Africa to “try to get rich” and “spending a lot of money,” this may not be the way that Africa can improve its economic status. Moran, Abramson, and Moran (2104) explain that in order for the continent Africa to actualize the prospects of improving their economy, “Africans will have to learn how to: (1) practice synergy among themselves; (2) control their populations; (3) advance their literacy, education, and productivity; (4) build infrastructure, especially roads and transportation; (5_ promote conservation and ecotourism; and (6) connect with the information age and its technologies” (p. 506). By Americans heading to Africa in its current economic state, it is not allowing Africa to improve because it means that Africa is skipping these steps that are explained by Moran, Abramson, and Moran, which are necessary in order for the African continent to actually improve economically in the long run.
The statement made by President Trump at the luncheon also proves the point of how important it is for a person speaking to an audience from a leadership position to know their audience and speak with consideration to the cultural differences. With the statements that President Trump made at the luncheon, it is clear that he was not considering how his statements would be perceived by the African leaders that were his audience. When speaking from a leadership position, it is crucial that the leader adapts their statements and their overall speech to the culture that they are speaking to.
Overall, there is opportunity for Africa to improve its economic conditions. However, by wealthy American business people moving their money-making ventures to Africa before allowing the countries of the African continent to improve themselves with the steps outlined by Moran, Abramson, and Moran (2104), there will not be any real and sustainable long-term improvement to the African economy.
References:
Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences (9th ed.). Oxford: Routledge.
Wilkie, C. (2017, September 21). Trump congratulates African leaders for making his friends rich. Retrieved November 27, 2017, from https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/20/trump-congratulates-african-leaders-for-making-his-friends-rich.html
I agree with you Valerie. Although there may be abundant opportunity for capitalism to grow in Africa, it is presumptuous of the U.S to assume it is what the people of Africa desire. With growth comes sacrifice and compromise, and maybe the African people aren’t willing to pay the price.
Marci,
Your post makes the excellent point in regard to the advantages of this coursework in dealing with leadership figures of other cultures. i would be mortified if I acted in a leadership role that diminished another due to my ignorance of the cultural differences that exist. Thank you for the post!
I really appreciate your blog post and believe you make really incredible points. The idea that Trump believes it is a congratulatory statement to say that his friends go to a country to exploit resources really emphasizes his lack of cultural competence. This is a recurring theme within the Trump administration. The reason this is so horribly offensive is because it does not allow Africa to come together and utilize the synergy and productivity needed to grow their economy within themselves. Knowing their strong ties to collectivism, makes it apparent that it would be beneficial for them to really follow the steps outlined in your blog post because it would be relying on them as a community and culture rather than outside sources. There is not much pride in white men from affluent backgrounds coming into your country and profiting off of your resources when you are unable to do so, it is actually quite upsetting that the President would think that there was nothing wrong with that statement.
Your blog post is maybe my favorite of all time because it not only ties in African global leadership, and themes of ubuntu, but also the cultural competence from President Trump. It really shows how having cultural competence, or lack thereof, can influence how other cultures react to working with people who do not understand their backgrounds. Incredible post!
Hi Marci,
I very much enjoyed your post and thought you had some great insights into how Trump’s remarks were seen by African leadership. I actually had not heard about this luncheon and was interested to read Trump’s speech. I do feel that Trump was attempting to give a compliment and I can definitely see how it could be taken as offensive. While Africa holds many opportunities, there is still a large portion of the continent that struggles with poverty and disease. It is reasonable to assume that glorifying the wealth of American business owners may seem contrite when compared with the struggles of some African communities. I am curious whether these American business owners are pursuing business relationships, investing money in African companies and technologies, or perhaps outsourcing their businesses from the US. There is a lot of controversy around outsourcing and the idea of moving businesses abroad to save and/or make money is intended to exploit a lack of controls regarding worker safety and rights. I do think that opportunities in Africa could be enhanced by building international relationships. However, those relationships should be based upon mutual benefit and should help Africa meet the goals outlined by Moran, Abramson & Moran (2014). Globalization is having a very real impact on the African people. As a matter of fact, the African Union’s (n.d.) website talks about their attempts to battle the “negative aspects of globalization.” I do not think that Africa should shy away from relationships with American business owners. However, I do feel that the relationship should be mutually beneficial and respectful on both sides.
Great job!
References:
African Union. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://au.int/en/au-nutshell
Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences. (9th ed.). London: Routledge.
Remarks by President Trump at Working Lunch with African Leaders. (2017, September 20). The White House. Retrieved from https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/09/20/remarks-president-trump-working-lunch-african-leaders
Marci, you brought up a lot of good points throughout this blog entry ranging from what Africa should be doing to raise their economic status to how one leader should be addressing others. As you noted, a lot of the lack in economic power and status is due to the lack of synergy, technology, and more. It also may have something to do with the ignorance theory. The ignorance theory “asserts that inequality exists because no one knows how to help poor countries become more prosperous” (Moran, Abramson & Moran, 2014, p. 24). I believe that the ignorance theory encompasses your blog entry because it hits the same points you discussed. I wonder, if we were to actually take the time to figure out a better way to make these countries prosper, along with devoting the time there, would it actually work and in whose favor? What if some of these countries do not want to improve their economic conditions because they do not what to be like the United States and other countries? Something a little more to think about there. Great job with this post.