THE INCONVENIENT TRUTH OF PATRIOTISM IN AFRICA: TO SERVE IS TO SUFFER.
By Professor Douglas Boateng
(MSc, EngD, FCILT, FCMI,FIC, FInst.D, FIOM, FCIPS FSOE, IPlantE, FIoD, CEng, CDir) Rtd
In Africa, the call to serve one’s country is often seen as noble, but it is a call met with peril. To step forward with good intentions is to risk being misunderstood, vilified, or even destroyed by the very people one strives to uplift. The inconvenient truth is that in many African nations, patriotism is not rewarded but punished. A person who dares to lead with integrity becomes a target, their reputation dragged through the mud, their efforts undermined, and their sacrifices forgotten.
To serve is to walk a road laden with thorns. It is to plant seeds in soil that refuses to nurture, to offer shade to those who will cut down the very tree protecting them from the sun. This cycle of betrayal has become a cornerstone of African public life, and it is a tragedy that continues to deter the best and brightest minds from entering public service.
THE CRUCIFIXION OF THE WILLING
Africa has no shortage of talented business leaders, academics, and professionals who have answered the call to serve their nations. These individuals, armed with skills, experience, and a genuine desire to make a difference, enter public service with high hopes. Yet, many of them leave broken, their reputations in ruins, their legacies tarnished by allegations, rumors, and smear campaigns.
Reputational destruction has become the price of public service in Africa. A single false accusation can undo decades of hard work. A deliberate whisper campaign can destroy trust built over a lifetime. In many cases, these attacks are politically motivated, designed to silence reformers or discredit those who threaten entrenched interests. When the seeds of falsehood are sown, they often take root in public perception, and the truth becomes an afterthought.
Consider the countless professionals who have moved from successful corporate careers into public service, only to be accused of corruption, mismanagement, or incompetence. Their names become synonymous with scandal, even when no evidence exists. Their families bear the shame, their health suffers under the strain, and their contributions are buried beneath the weight of public disdain. This is the heavy price of patriotism in Africa: to serve is to suffer.
WINNER-TAKES-ALL POLITICS: THE SEEDS OF DIVISION
Africa’s democratic systems, while a step forward from the autocratic regimes of the past, have created new challenges. Elections, meant to symbolize progress, often deepen divisions rather than heal them. Winner-takes-all politics has transformed governance into a zero-sum game where the victors take everything and the losers are left with nothing.
This creates fertile ground for witch hunts. After every election, a new wave of accusations emerges. Former officials, political opponents, and even civil servants are dragged into investigations, often with little to no evidence. This is not about justice. It is about revenge. The new administration must show that the previous one was corrupt, regardless of the truth. These post-election purges do not strengthen governance. Instead, they weaken trust in institutions and perpetuate cycles of division and retribution. A nation that tears itself apart every four or five years cannot build a stable foundation for progress. It is like a farmer who uproots his crops every season, expecting a harvest. Nothing grows in such an environment.
CHARACTER ASSASSINATION: A WEAPON OF CHOICE
Character assassination has become a common tool for silencing and discrediting those who serve. In Africa, a person’s reputation is often their most valuable asset, yet it is treated as expendable. False allegations, deliberate misreporting, and malicious rumors are wielded like weapons, cutting down those who dare to lead.
To serve in Africa is to expose oneself to ridicule and slander. A public servant can spend years building trust and integrity, only for their name to be dragged through the mud by a single baseless accusation. The stain of a lie is often more enduring than the truth.
This tactic is particularly effective because the systems meant to deter such behavior; courts, regulatory bodies, and media ethics councils are often weak or compromised. Suing a journalist or a political opponent for defamation is a lengthy, expensive process that rarely results in meaningful accountability. By the time the truth emerges, the damage has already been done.
Many have faced these challenges in silence. Brilliant minds, both in Ghana and across Africa, have been reduced to mere footnotes in history because their reputations were destroyed before they could complete their missions. The truth is irrelevant when public opinion has already been swayed by lies.
THE FAILURE OF DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE
Democracy is often hailed as Africa’s great hope, but it has its limitations. While elections provide a platform for change, they often deepen existing problems rather than solving them.
In many African countries, elections are not contests of ideas but contests of survival. Politicians do not compete to govern; they compete to win, knowing that the cost of losing is humiliation, exclusion, or worse. Public servants, too, are dragged into this cycle of competition. Their work is politicized, their efforts undermined, and their reputations weaponized against them.
The public sector, instead of being a bastion of stability, becomes a battlefield. Talented individuals who might otherwise contribute to nation building are discouraged from participating. The message is clear: public service is not worth the personal cost. A nation that eats its own cannot grow strong.
THE HEAVY BURDEN OF PATRIOTIC DUTY
Despite these challenges, some continue to step forward. They do so not for fame or fortune but because they believe in the power of change. They understand that a nation cannot grow without sacrifice, just as a tree cannot bear fruit without enduring storms.
But the weight of patriotic duty is heavy. Those who serve often pay a steep personal price. Their families are dragged into public scandals. Their health deteriorates under the strain of constant attacks. They are vilified, ridiculed, and forgotten, even as they labor for the good of their people.
Their sacrifices are often unrecognized. Like a farmer planting seeds in rocky soil, they toil without knowing whether their efforts will bear fruit. For many, the ultimate reward for their service is exile, imprisonment, or even death.
A SYSTEM IN NEED OF REFORM
Africa must confront the systems that allow such injustices to persist. Governance must be decoupled from politics, and public service must be shielded from the toxic effects of elections. Accountability must become a tool for justice, not a weapon for revenge.
The media must also play its part. Journalism, though essential to democracy, must be held to higher standards of integrity. Laws must protect individuals from malicious reporting, and media houses must be held accountable for falsehoods. At the same time, the judiciary must become more efficient and impartial, ensuring that justice is swift and meaningful.
Above all, a cultural shift is needed. Public service must once again be seen as a noble calling. Communities must value those who serve with integrity, rejecting the culture of suspicion and character assassination. A nation that respects its patriots will prosper; a nation that crucifies them will crumble.
A REFLECTIVE CONCLUSION
To serve Africa is to walk a lonely road. It is to give without expectation of gratitude, to build knowing that others may tear down what you create, to love a land that often does not love you back.
Patriotism in Africa is not for the faint-hearted. It is a burden carried by the few for the benefit of the many. Yet, it is also a road of immense potential. Africa’s future depends on those who are willing to endure the hardship of service, even in the face of betrayal.
But Africa must ask itself: How long will we crucify those who seek to help us? How long will we allow politics, lies, and envy to destroy the very people who could lead us to greatness?
The time for change is now. Africa must learn to cherish its patriots, protect its reformers, and honor its servants. For if a nation cannot love those who love it, how can it ever hope to grow?
The inconvenient truth is this: A land that devours its builders will forever remain in ruins. Africa must decide whether it will continue to tear down those who serve or finally build a future worthy of their sacrifices.
About the author
Professor Douglas Boateng is a globally celebrated thought leader, Chartered Director, industrial engineer, supply chain management expert, and social entrepreneur known for his transformative contributions to industrialisation, procurement and strategic sourcing in a developing world context, supply chain governance, and socio-economic development.
As Africa’s first Professor Extraordinaire for Supply Chain Governance and Industrialization, he has advised governments, businesses, and policymakers, driving sustainability and growth.
During his tenure as Chairman of the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF), Labadi Beach Hotel, he led these institutions to global recognition for innovation and operational excellence. He is also the past chairman of the Public Procurement Authority .
A prolific author of over 90 publications, he is also the creator of NyansaKasa(Words of Wisdom) , a thought-provoking platform with over one million daily readers.
Professor Boateng has received numerous lifetime achievement awards, including recognition from HP for his exceptional contributions to global supply chain management. Through his visionary leadership, he continues to inspire ethical governance, innovation, and youth empowerment, driving Africa toward a sustainable and inclusive future.
