Power is a very tricky term. U.S. national security official Joseph Nye puts it, power “is like the weather. Everyone talks about it, but few understand it.1 In politics, power is the ability to influence or outright control the behavior of people.2 But in geopolitical relations, power may be defined as a state’s ability to control, or at least influence, other states, or the outcome of events.3 Also, power is not strictly force or military strength. Power could be economic, diplomatic, or social strength.
Even more tricky, is that power cannot be easily quantified. Measuring the power of any country requires both a relational approach and simple approach that weighs certain elements, such as economic size, population, military strength, internal stability and diplomatic history. So globally, countries like China, the U.S., Russia, France, Germany and the UK are seen as powerful nations.
On the African continent though, the world does not recognize too many powerful nations. In this article, I will introduce you five African countries that are truly more powerful than the world sees them to be. But first, to kick off the discussion, I’ll explain the power metrics used to weigh the strength of each African nation listed.
Elements of Power
Geography: The geographical features of a country go a long way in determining how powerful or potentially powerful a nation is. The geographical location of a country, its resources, size and the sort of environment or climate it has are key elements. The US avoided the casualties of both World War One and Two mainly because it was sandwiched between two big oceans.
People: The population of a country, its age distribution and education of the populace are also key power elements. Also, the perception of citizens about their country is another important indicator.
Government: Only functional governments can fully harness the power and strengths of a country.
Military Capability and Economic Size: The strength of a country’s military has historically been the key decider of a country’s strength. Although still important, the economic size and prosperity of a country also influences how the world sees a country.
Powerful African Nations
Ghana: Ghana is one African country that is quite powerful by many metrics. But it has maintained a very quiet reputation in African politics for over 40 years.
Nevertheless, Ghana has one of Africa’s sterling economies. Built on mineral exports, Ghana is one of Africa’s most stable economies. Its nominal GDP stands at $58.92 billion, but with a GDP PPP of $145 billion.4 Due to its stability, Ghana is home to large number of migrants from West African countries, including Nigeria.
Interestingly, Ghana is blessed with many important commodities such as gold, silver, diamonds, oil and cocoa. It is the 7th largest producer of gold and is the second biggest cocoa producer globally.5
Ghana’s population of 28 million is quite literate and very young. Approximately 57% of its population is under the age of 25.6 The country is quite coherent and faces minimal internal crisis, unlike most African countries.
Militarily speaking, Ghana has one of the most organized armed forces in Africa. But is considered one of the least violent. Due to its stable polity, the US announced plans to build a military base in the country.
Nigeria: Nigeria is one of Africa’s traditional great powers. The country has a long history playing big brother in African affairs since its independence. Nigeria played a key role in putting an end to several crisis and issues in Southern Africa, including the apartheid regime in South Africa and the decolonization of Namibia and Angola.
The country has also used its military to quell crisis in other African countries. Nigeria’s peacekeeping forces played impressive roles in ending the crisis in Liberia and Sierra Leone. And in recent times, Nigeria is a key player in the efforts to end terrorism in the Niger Basin.
Beyond these, Nigeria’s other claims to power include its large population, economic size and natural resource endowment. Its population stood at an estimated 190 million in 2018.7 Meanwhile its GDP hovered around stands at $376.3 billion, but its GDP PPP stands at $1.119 trillion.8 And the country is blessed with rich mineral resources including oil, many of which are largely untapped.
South Africa: Another traditional African power. South Africa is one of the most powerful countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Its influence is breathtaking, especially in the Southern Africa regional bloc where its economic prosperity is key to the economies of several other nations.
With $294.8 billion, South Africa has the second biggest economy in Africa, behind Nigeria.9 The country has a flourishing services sector and has a very advanced mining sector.
And demographically, South Africa has a population of 55 million. However, internal coherence is fraught by issues concerning race and land distribution.
Ethiopia: One of Africa’s emerging power, Ethiopia has been a regional power in the Horn of Africa. The key regional focal points have been its conflict with Eritrea and the Al Shabab terrorism in Somalia.
Over the last two decades, the country has concentrated on bolstering its economy and its efforts paid off. By 2016 the country had maintained impressive GDP growth rate between 8% and 11%.10 It GDP stands at $80.87 billion with a GDP PPP of $200 billion.
Ethiopia also draws strength from its large population. The country has a population of 105 million, making it the second largest country in Africa after Nigeria.
In recent times, internal cohesion is rising as the country has been making several reforms. It ended its conflict with Eritrea and made several liberal appointments and changes that have caught the attention of the world.
Kenya: Kenya is the most important player in East Africa affairs. Although the country’s military might may not be on par with the expectations of a powerful country, Kenya certainly makes up for this by having a booming economy and using soft power in its relations with its neighbors. And the country plays a key role coordinating affairs in the East African Community regional bloc.
Kenya draws its strength from the fact that it is the largest economy in East Africa. With a GDP of $85.980 and a per capita income of $1,790, Kenya’s economy is only bettered than Nigeria and South Africa.11
The country also has an extremely young population. Kenya has a population of 47,615,739, but 40% of the populace are younger than 15 years old.12 19.15% is between the age of 15 and 24.