What is the relevant model that is best for practices in indigenous development?


Is Forced development that is promoted from outside-in is the relevant model that is best for practices in indigenous development? Professor Henry Mintzberg of McGill university one of the world’s most influential writer shares his views and experiences in Africa with Tanzania through videoconference. NYASIGO KORNEL who participated the conference analyses.

Prof. Henry Mintzberg asks Tanzania if they ever saw any country that has developed primarily through the outside-in model, the equivalent of globalization today, based on the wholesale importation of beliefs, expertise, and capital. If not, then why are the developed countries forcing on others a model that never worked for them?

He says that he visited Ghana recently and spent little time in Africa where he came with the usual question that how can a “developing” country like Tanzania and Ghana be developed.

But something troubled him about this formulation especially when he raised the concern and push of Africa countries to develop by the developing countries.

Prof. Henry Mintzberg asks whether Tanzania and countries of the same economic profile like Ghana can stop developing because outsiders are so intent on developing them.

According to his experience when he visited Ghana, Ghanaians discuss of why there had be so much control of domestic operations by foreign headquarters. Ghanaians wondered whether they really understand the local needs.

“Just because some “best practice” works in New York, does that mean it will work in Accra? They felt that even many of the international NGOs and “development” agencies, not only IFM, act much on the same way,” Prof. Henry Mintzberg reacts.

We mused about how American managers might react to consultants arriving from Ghana, Tanzania and such countries with their induced best practices. He says and wonders that it worked in Dar es Salaam so its bound to work in New York!

He says leadership is not only heroic but also engaging. He took an example of Ghanaian heroic UN boss, Kofi Annan who spent most of his time in New York unlike Dr. Kwame Bediako, Annan’s schoolmate who spent most of his career in Ghana and thus make Dr. Bediako’s approach to leadership be decidedly African and Ghanaian.

According to BBC news in February 28 of 1998, Annan’s advisor told a journalist that he Annan runs the UN like an old fashioned African village, with long discussions among the elders, periods of reflection and eventually a decision.

He says that Annan’s re-election to a second term came with support of nations all over the world, rich and poor, as well as of the Un staff itself, something that Dr. Bediako points out as heroic, however pulls down his huge bonuses in New York due to his Ghanaian up brought-up.

The passive importation of techniques control and beliefs, via outside agencies and experts that run around solving everyone else’s problems may be the very problem of development.

This form of globalization certainly develops the global corporations of the wealthy world. It is high time for Tanzania to foster indigenous development of the country and its leaders.

One thing seemed clear. Tanzania like Ghana does not lack enterprise. Go into its streets, and you are struck by the pervasiveness of markets and personal initiative, more than enough to put America to shame.

Prof. Henry Mintzberg says that at a red light in New York, you might be approached by squeegee kid or two, but in Dar es salaam and Accra, yor car is surrounded by a virtual supermarkets of people try to sell you everything imaginable.

According to Prof. Henry Mintzberg, Tanzania and Ghana lack are enterprises.

The World has been adopting two models of development. The first, labeled planned development which is driven by the states, but with fall of the communist regimes, accompanied by the discrediting of state intervention, a second model, of international, or global development that usually replace the state economic needs.

The state only play the role to drive development, ensure contract law and accounting procedures, the rest, which are important are taken care by foreign corporations as well as domestic, on that so-called “level playing field” and trade barriers.

The equivalent globalization today based on the whole sale importation of beliefs, expertise, and capital.

The reason to why people receive and tolerate this is just because they have nowhere lese to run. After the fall of communism, globalism became the only model in town, so to speak, the answer to all the world’s problems, development included. With what theory was any developing country to stand up to the likes of the IMF or the WTO, let alone the Economist, issue after issues?

There is no clear example in the world where the country as ever developed primarily through outside-in model. It is difficult to find. If not, then why are the developed countries forcing on others a model that worked for themselves?

The video conference with Prof. Henry Mintzberg took place in Tanzania Global Development Learning Centre (TGDLC). The centre enables decision makers and mid-level professionals and practitioners to access and share the wealth of knowledge and experiences available in the world through the global communication system including video conferencing, Internet, Video, CD-ROM and Print.


Writer of the Article:
Nyasigo Kornel
Communication Officer of HPRC (Health and Poverty resource Centre) in Tanzania and a journalist.
Mob: +255 745 551 455
Email: emmakornel@yahoo.com