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Our governments invest political and financial capital in infrastructure. Physical infrastructure is important but, as a development strategy, the most important investment, the highest priority, is human development: quality of life - health, education and skills, potable water,
life expectancy (how long a country’s citizens live on average). The development trajectory should be: 1. Human Development (mainly social infrastructure); 2. Economic Growth (which includes GDP growth and can be helped by physical infrastructure); 3. Structural Transformation
(a shift away from single commodity or natural resource dependency to a diversified economy based on complex, value-added production and services). Failure to proceed in this order is why real development has eluded Nigeria and many other African countries.
Driving one day in Geneva years ago, I met a “traffic jam” at a popular junction. Everyone was maneuvering to get ahead. Chaos. Car horns were honking (unbelievable!). Was I in Lagos? The problem: both the traffic light and the traffic camera that catches violations broke down.
Once everyone could see that the mechanism that enforced order and accountability wasn’t functioning, human nature took over. An illuminating moment. The Swiss are an ordered society. But that’s because the law is enforced if you break it.If you break a traffic rule you won’t
see police anywhere except there is an accident. But the cameras capture your vehicle number and you promptly received notice of a fine in your mail box. If you fail to pay it, life can get, well, uncomfortable and complicated! That’s how and why functioning societies work.
