George Ayittey (1945-2022): A Tribute to One of Africa’s Greatest Economists

[Note: This article was originally published on the Mises Wire, which we thank for agreeing to publish it]

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I was saddened to hear of the passing of George Ayittey. An intrepid scholar, prolific author, and fighter for Africa’s freedom, prosperity, and dignity. May God grant his soul peace and rest.

Although I have not personally met Professor Ayittey and have only recently begun to explore his work, he is undoubtedly one of Africa's greatest economists. His steadfast commitment to free-market economics in a world dominated by statist economics sets him apart as an honest scholar and a bold champion of truth and liberty.

George B.N. Ayittey was born in Ghana in 1945 and passed away in January 2022 in the United States, where he had lived most of his life. He earned a B.Sc. in Economics from the University of Ghana, an M.A. from the University of Western Ontario, and his Ph.D. from the University of Manitoba. Ayittey’s groundbreaking work in economic history has conclusively demonstrated that Africa's economic heritage predominantly comprises free markets, free enterprise, and free trade. His work is a testament against the prevailing misconceptions of Africa’s economic heritage being of socialist and other statist systems.

Dr. Ayittey held several prominent roles and was associated with various universities and organizations. He was a Senior Fellow at the Independent Institute and an associate scholar at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. Still, he is best known as a prominent economist, author, professor, Distinguished Economist in Residence at American University, and president of the Free Africa Foundation, a think tank he founded in 1993 to promote economic reforms in Africa.

He wrote numerous books, articles, and op-eds featured in well-respected news outlets, such as the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and the Washington Post, along with renowned African media houses. He appeared on prime television shows such as ABC’s Nightline and CNN’s Crossfire, as well as on radio programs, and he was invited to testify before US congressional committees.

His books include the groundbreaking Indigenous African Institutions (1991; 2nd ed., 2006), arguably his magnum opus. He also wrote Africa Betrayed (1992), which won him the 1992 Mencken Award for Best Book; Africa in Chaos (1998); Africa Unchained: The Blueprint for Africa's Future (2006); and Defeating Dictators: Fighting Tyranny in Africa and Around the World (2011).

Indigenous African Institutions is a groundbreaking book that challenges the common misconception that free markets, free trade, and free enterprise are exclusively Western concepts and, therefore, tied to imperialism and colonialism. The book shows that the foreign concepts are the cruel and oppressive socialist and other statist systems imposed on Africa during the colonial and postcolonial eras. This book presents an examination of both precolonial and postcolonial Africa. It covers various aspects, including social structures, economic systems, legal institutions, political organizations, native forms of government, democratic processes, chiefdoms, kingdoms, and cultural elements. Additionally, it addresses the themes of Africa’s postcolonial betrayal and the destruction that followed.

In Africa Unchained: The Blueprint for Africa’s Future, Ayittey presents a compelling vision for Africa’s future—a future in which African societies are free and prosperous. He emphasizes that this future can only be realized by embracing and building upon Africa’s economic heritage of free-market systems. As he highlights in his article Indigenous African Free-Market Liberalism:

There is nothing wrong with the traditional economic system of free markets, free enterprise, and free trade. All the leadership had to do after independence was to build on it. Only Botswana did this. But the vast majority of African leaders—an assortment of black neocolonialists, Swiss-bank socialists, quack revolutionaries, and crocodile liberators—instead went abroad and copied all sorts of alien practices to impose on their people. Have they learned? No. Black neocolonialists have been busy importing another alien ideology, from China: On August 14, 2010, Xinhua reported: “A total of 25 Confucius institutes have been opened in 18 African countries.

In How Socialism Destroyed Africa, Ayittey describes the abysmal failures and harmful consequences of dictatorial socialist regimes throughout Africa. He writes:

Equating capitalism with colonialism, Africa’s nationalist leaders rejected it and adopted socialism in the 1960s. Foreign companies were nationalized, a string of state-owned enterprises were established and a plethora of state controls on rent, prices, imports, and foreign exchange were imposed to capture the commanding heights of the economy. But nowhere in Africa was the socialist experiment successful.

George Ayittey dedicated his life to advancing economic truth and liberty in Africa and beyond. His groundbreaking work represents an invaluable scholarly contribution. Although his passing is a great loss, his legacy will continue to inspire future generations. His remarkable example of intellectual honesty, moral courage, and resilience in standing up against tyranny and injustice sets a high standard.

Thank you, Professor Ayittey, for your pioneering and enlightening work.