"In African democracy the man with a gun is majority." - Yours truly.

I keep being asked this question all the time: When will African countries wake up to meeting the minimum mapping required for infrastructure development and socio-economic planning? At present, the level of completion of African topographical maps at all scales is very low. At larger scales the level of completion has variously been quoted around 40%, far below the ~90% target recommended by various international organisations. Projects to build infrastructure are therefore not able to access reliable information that would guarantee implementation to meet minimum environmental standards. The land tenure system in most places was imposed by political diktat to serve sectional interests, have been variously described as controversial, inconsistent, and socially unacceptable. It is not surprising that several cases are not even settled in law courts, helping to keep investors away.

A major out-break of common sense would be welcome. But the issues mitigating against this are colossal. There is shortage of money, prevalence of hunger, dominance of dictators and over-reliance on foreign assistance – not in any particular order as these issues are highly correlated.

Money

The debt burden is still high in Africa and many countries are now asking for their debts to be "forgiven". While reliance on foreign aid has reached epidemic proportions, there seem to be no end in sight. Where money has been made available, and this is rare, the prevalence of corruption is sometimes a problem. Selfish interests often work against the application of appropriate technology, resulting in minimum specifications not being met.

Technology

Developing countries complain they are the dumping grounds for out-dated technology. But when you are getting equipment free of charge you can hardly choose. In many organisations, older managers fearing erosion of their control or loss of their jobs actually work against the introduction of new technology. So the same people who are entrusted with enhancing the capability of their units actually work towards its retrogression. Most of the mapping in Africa is done by Government agencies plagued with excess manpower on low pay and the erosion of the most elementary work incentives. The rank-and-file have very little interest in getting any work done.

Hunger

When times are hard, mapping projects suffer. Even dictators are sometimes under pressure to show evidence of achievements. Rural people want to have clean drinking water, roads built (or repaired) to enable them get their wares to the markets, hospitals (with drugs) to treat their sick children and, most important of all, food on their table. The last thing you will show to a bunch of angry, hungry villagers is a bundle of maps.

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Unfortunately, the Governments of developed countries are obsessed with ‘Business’ and ‘Money’. They are worried about losing business to rival developed countries and, so, always compromise their much advertised moral ‘high-ground’ in confronting corrupt, even illegitimate, governments in developing countries.

I have recently argued that the richer countries like Nigeria will wake up one day, very soon, and fix their mapping dilemma. When better-educated and more enlightened citizens take a more active interest in politics there would be the possibility to avoid a new round of looting and killings. The same old players dominate the present political dispensation, bolstered by stolen money. An American strategic paper summed it up as "… the dominant political image in Africa is often that of the ‘big man’ or ‘president for life,’ whisked by sunglassed bodyguards into a Mercedes limousine with darkened windows, on his way to join the waiting brothers, cousins, friends, and cronies he has appointed to government posts." This is the unfortunate reality.