Development Background
The question of development is one of the fundamental tenets of life, signifying progress toward maturity, independence in managing one’s affairs, and achieving desired outcomes. Conversely, underdevelopment reflects an inability to utilize one’s potential, often resulting in perpetual dependence on external support. This concept applies to individuals and countries striving to grow and sustain themselves without continuous foreign assistance. However, many underdeveloped countries inadvertently hinder their progress by failing to take the necessary steps, thus resulting in underdevelopment. Much like humans, a country’s development follows certain principles shaped by its complex and dynamic nature. As physical growth is not the ultimate goal for humans, the real work is mental growth – emphasizing mind over body. For countries, this involves fostering a progressive culture and implementing effective systems to achieve sustainable development.
Historically, all developed countries transitioned from a state of underdevelopment to advancing either ethically or exploitatively. Regardless of the approach, true development relies not on the mere possession of raw materials but on strategic thinking and calculated actions. It requires consistent, deliberate efforts and self-reliance, as external aid often fosters dependency or is structured to maintain subservience. Many parts of the underdeveloped world were once thriving but declined due to conquest, exploitation, or sadly, stagnation in adaptive thinking. This essay will not dwell extensively on historical transgressions, as it will become an even longer piece or an upcoming book. Instead, the focus is on how countries can break free from the cycle of underdevelopment and the crucial steps necessary to become developed. Ultimately, the difference between developed and underdeveloped countries comes down to the way they are managed.
Development Requirements
A clear vision, accompanied by strategic plans and roadmaps, is needed for developing a country and its various sectors. This prevents doing things in an ad-hoc or reactive manner. The two key components necessary for a country’s development are mindset shift and strategic actions. The first involves a change in perception of itself and the world, while the second encompasses the actions it takes to achieve its short- and long-term goals.
Components of the Mindset Shift
Engaging in Critical Thinking. Development begins with a transformation in mindset – thinking critically and strategically. This means thoroughly assessing the present state, envisioning the desired future, and identifying the gaps that must be addressed. A common issue in underdeveloped countries is chasing immediate gratification over the long-term sustainable progress needed to develop the country. This short-sightedness often results in ill-conceived initiatives and the signing of unfavorable agreements that portray a serious lack of vision. Some of these actions are designed to maintain a superficial image by the ruler rather than pursuing genuine development. A culture of progressive thinking must be nurtured – not by outright rejecting existing systems, as postmodernism suggests, but by selectively retaining beneficial practices while discarding ineffective ones, akin to nature’s adaptive process. Insanity, after all, lies in stubbornly clinging to outdated practices despite negative outcomes. Every action must be carefully considered to avoid regression masquerading as progress and knowing there is nothing called free. True progress often involves difficult, sometimes unpopular decisions, yet these are necessary for meaningful and lasting development. Celebrating minor achievements as something significant should be discouraged to prevent the acceptance of mediocrity as the standard or a measure of progress.
Knowing True History, Acknowledging Past Mistakes, and Eliminating Misguided Affinities. A country’s history must be taught from its own perspective and not a Eurocentric or foreign one, ensuring its people understand its achievements and shortcomings. Until you have your own historians and writers, the tales of your past will mainly glorify those who penned them. Relying solely on foreign narratives to understand your own history means you are lost before you even begin, as these narratives often distort reality, exaggerating foreign contributions while diminishing local accomplishments and culture. This distortion has been particularly evident in the misrepresentation of African civilizations, such as ancient Egypt (Kemet), in mainstream narratives. Correcting such misinformation requires a systematic process of unlearning and relearning to enable countries to reclaim their identities and recognize their true worth. Learning from past mistakes is essential to prevent their recurrence. Additionally, many underdeveloped countries maintain inexplicable reverence for their former colonizers or oppressors due to some absurd urge to want to be liked by them – a form of mental slavery. This misplaced admiration and alacrity fosters psychological subjugation, reinforcing dependency and inferiority complexes.
Promoting and Celebrating the Right Personas. Patriotism, statesmanship, and the recognition of local intellectuals and writers are crucial in shaping a country’s future. Underdeveloped countries must prioritize societal good over individual profit. In many of these countries, a few (political) elites control most of the resources, leaving the majority of the population in poverty. They fail to realize their riches lack intelligence and respect abroad as they are judged first by the status of their country. However, personal ambition and profit motives or even greed can be leveraged for a country’s development when it aligns with societal good. Intellectual and cultural self-respect must be cultivated, moving away from blindly adaption and adulation to foreign languages, names, and ideologies that become psychologically detrimental to a country’s identity and development. This includes renaming landmarks to reflect indigenous heritage, like calling Lake Victoria and Victoria Falls by their local names, Lake Nalubaale and Mosiotunya respectively. The psychological conditioning that equates foreign as good and local as not-so-good must be dismantled. This mentality also manifests in passively waiting for external solutions, leading to an overreliance on foreign aid and the proliferation of foreign charities in these countries. Such dependence, coupled with intellectual slothism hampers the continuous improvement culture needed, reinforces mental stagnation, invites foreign control, and thus sustains their perpetual underdevelopment. True development demands self-reliance and a commitment to homegrown solutions.
Components of Strategic Actions
Creating Strategic Plans and Roadmaps. Development requires a strategic approach to doing the right things in the right way at the right time – a roadmap. Without a strategic plan, countries become susceptible to directionless decision-making and become pawns in the global chess game. External proposals should be critically evaluated to ensure alignment with the country’s strategic goals, rather than being accepted blindly or based on their emotionality. Even well-intentioned foreign assistance must align with the country’s strategic objectives and be leveraged to enhance self-reliance rather than foster dependence.
Developing Effective Leaders. Defining and selecting leaders based on what you need and not what others want you to consider as a leader is critical. Leadership and its succession planning are essential for sustained development. Many underdeveloped countries suffer when leaders cling to power beyond their effectiveness, stifling progress and ushering in a period of underperformance. Some of these rulers are oblivious to the different skill sets needed to develop a country versus to fight for its liberation. Strong leadership is required to pursue the right path even when it is unpopular, as fortune often favors the bold. Also, a dynamic leadership pipeline is needed to ensure development continuity and prevent regression into mediocrity or even destitution. While not everyone can take on leadership roles, being an effective auxiliary is equally valuable as leaders need people to do the right things right.
Establishing an Optimal Education System. Education should prioritize critical thinking, problem-solving, and innovation over rote memorization. Emphasis must be placed on the practical application of knowledge as well as research and development. Teaching in local languages needs to be promoted to enhance comprehension, remove learning barriers, and eliminate the assumption that fluency in a foreign language equates to intelligence. While foreign education holds value, it should not be blindly preferred over locally developed expertise. Some, despite going to foreign or good schools, lack genuine educational depth. True education and excellence stem from character, perspective, and outputs rather than mere credentials. A culture of intellectual self-reliance must be emphasized and cultivated, reducing over-reliance on foreign solutions and insights, this also enhances national security.
Building a Dynamic Economy. A country’s economy must be driven by value creation and not reliance on raw material exports. Businesses should be encouraged to be listed on the exchanges for greater wealth creation, and their value and performance assessed objectively. This fosters a competitive environment that attracts the best talents to head organizations toward growth and impact. Data from countries that successfully escaped the cycle of underdevelopment, showed an average growth rate of at least eight to twelve percent annually is needed. This is the escape economic velocity (EEV) rate for transiting into becoming developed. Also, having robust manufacturing and dynamic service sectors are essential for economic resilience and reducing vulnerability to external pressures. Any distinctive niche in these areas further strengthens a country’s competitive advantage.
Enhancing Essential Capabilities and Services. Underdeveloped countries must nurture and develop their expertise in global negotiations and branding, ensuring they are not simply outmatched and exploited. Well-equipped disaster management for emergencies and well-designed comprehensive social services are essential. Food and energy security underpin the growth of a country. A country must grow what it eats as agriculture autonomy safeguards stability and independence. Likewise, energy security is vital for industrialization and planning, and its diversification is needed to ensure reliability and resilience as demand grows. Access to quality affordable healthcare is important to prevent medical tourism. Investing in research, healthcare facilities, and preventive care helps strengthen the healthcare system and reduces disease prevalence. And having robust law enforcement and jurisprudence that is impartial in upholding the rule of law regardless of the power structure involved, builds public trust and catalyzes development.
Learning from More Developed Countries
Underdeveloped countries must learn from various successful models, adapting best practices to local contexts. A striking paradox of these countries is the persistent repetition of ineffective methods while expecting different outcomes. Deflecting blame onto external forces and the lack of the needed punitive and preventive measures even after crises, hinder their development. This raises the question: are rulers of these countries using the state of underdevelopment to maintain control and power or are they simply incompetent? A pragmatic solution lies in selectively copying and adapting proven solutions from more developed countries when applicable. Some common areas for emulation include public security, infrastructure, housing, healthcare, institution management, disaster relief, social services, money market, some tax laws, education, thought leadership, research and development, talent attraction, sanitation, consumer protection, patriotic gestures, the behavior of officials, and a few others. These core functions parallel essential departments in any well-run organization. While operational approaches may vary, their best practices remain universal for effective management. The primary obstacle to meaningful progress in underdeveloped countries is often not external or financial but weak fundamentals and their inability to do the simplest things right, or chronic mismanagement. Fixing the governance system, applying the laws equitably, and holding people accountable will make a country seem more developed and better off (even if nothing else is done). Just like fixing a leaking bucket is more imperative than pouring more water into it – highlighting the importance of efficient management over resource acquisition.
Underdeveloped countries must ablactate themselves from foreign aid as it has been detrimental to their development, akin to domesticated beasts losing their ability to hunt. They also need to detox their minds from mental poisons like inferiority complexes and self-destructive desire to be anything but themselves. The root of these issues lies in misidentity – a disconnect from their true self and history, and deficiency in critical thinking. To break free from this cycle, these countries must have the discipline of strategy, implementation, and execution. If a more developed country bans harmful substances or processes (or introduces something new), underdeveloped countries should analyze it and consider doing the same preemptively, rather than waiting for crises to compel action. By observing what works elsewhere, you can avoid repeating costly mistakes. Following best practices is a pragmatic step toward avoiding stagnation and underdevelopment. The prevalent tendency to distort reality in these countries needs to halt, as you can be blind to the truth but the truth is not blind to you. Also, the perverse inversion of right and wrong for political or financial gain must be eradicated for any meaningful change to take hold. Knowing what you need to know is a sign of understanding, looking for where to find examples to emulate it is a sign of thinking, and using best practices to solve challenges is a sign of intelligence. It seems like one of the key things underdeveloped countries lack is the nuances of life that could reduce their suffering. Most complex challenges can have simple solutions if you know where to look.
Final Thoughts
With information readily available, ignorance is now a choice. Freedom stems from knowledge, and by studying successful practices, underdeveloped countries can position themselves for prosperity. Rulers of these countries must think about posterity in everything they do, while immediate challenges exist, they should not hinder development. A country should not sacrifice its important future for its urgent needs, it must be able to handle the immediate needs and still make sure it secures the future; the latter takes precedence. Effective leadership demands skillful management of present demands while steadfastly pursuing future goals by creating the right systems and environment conducive to development. Development begins with a mindset shift and optimizing existing resources through value addition instead of selling raw materials at undervalued prices. Cultivating trust, respect for time, and discipline are the invisible glue for the needed execution. Concentrating on immediate monetary gains should not be the focus as progress must be strategic and incremental in building the right systems for future growth. Policymakers must also guard against blindly adopting detrimental measures, such as any imposed trade liberalization policies that destroy critical local industries. Often, countries that use a lot of rhetoric instead of actionable solutions remain underdeveloped, as silence is a mark of discernment and an invaluable teacher of wisdom.
Governance excellence and accountability inspire public trust and attract the right people to government. A clean environment, for example, affects how you feel and think, and reduces costly health issues, making it a critical requirement for a country. Collaborative efforts, teamwork, group intelligence, merit-based systems, and rational decision-making are important in generating the momentum development needs. Excessive focus on religion and entertainment activities like music, dancing, and a narrow selection of sports should be minimized because they clog the brains from the critical thinking needed for development. Underdeveloped countries must adopt a philosophy of self-reliance to break free from the cycle of dependency that perpetuates stagnation. The shift must be from receiving aid to independently sustaining themselves. Equally important is discernment – recognizing that not every good thing serves your development, and prioritizing needs over wants. If the main causes of underdevelopment in underdeveloped countries are mismanagement and psychological – bad systems, lack of proper planning, incompetency, acceptance of mediocracy, negative self-image, or even the perceived normalization of stupidity. Then ultimately, the development of underdeveloped countries begins with a mindset shift toward a new paradigm, and it relies on a bold vision, discipline, and strategic actions to drive the transformative changes required.