HOW AFRICANS DIFFER FROM WESTERNERS

David E. Malanz the author of the above book has lived and worked in African for more than 20 years, he travelled accross many countries in the African continent and observed life style we have. And he puts his observations from his research for many years in that book. It worth reading, as it helps us understand ourselves better. In the book he also compare and contrast the life style we have in Africa and that of Westerners. For today, let see some of key observations about African communities from the book:-

Africans assist their friends who are in financial need as a form of investment for those future times when they themselves might have needs. This arrangement constitutes a virtual banking or savings system  

Not all Africans follow the normal and accepted financial principles of the sharing that society dictates, but people who do not do so pay a very heavy social price: they are shunned and marginalized by friends and relatives 

Africans readily share space and things but are possessive of knowledge. (Westerners readily share their knowledge, but are possessive of things and space) 

A person to whom money or other resource is entrusted has a major say in how that money or resource will be used 

Africans do not budget for special events; rather, they spend as much money and other resources as they can marshal for each one (The wedding! The severance payment) 

Living beyond one’s means and income is accepted as normal and is almost universally practiced 

A major function of government is to provide money and other resources to those members of society who are in power or have a close relationship to those who are in power 

Precision is to be avoided in accounting as it shows lack of a generous spirit(Also Africans prefer a "one pocket" system to a "two pocket”"system. Ie. No separation of personal and business finances, or individual and corporate)

Budgeting, in a formal accounting sense, is not an accepted way of handling personal finances. It suggests that they can live independently of others and God. A form of budgeting is practiced, however, with only two basic categories:

1. Daily expenses for perishable food stuffs
2. Rations monthly amount left at a dry goods grocer to assure grain, cooking oil, etc. for the month 

Giving preference to the employment of kin over non-kin is a normal expression of family responsibility and solidarity

1. Personal, family or private interests are placed before larger organizational or public interests
2. People who are under-qualified tend to be employed for particular positions, as private interests are placed above qualifications and competence for accomplishing the purposes forwhich the positions were supposedly created
3. Accountability is lessened, as loyalty to private interests is placed before the accomplishment of official tasks
4. Motivation to work conscientiously is lessened, as people are hired because of who they are , not primarily what they are capable of doing
5. Standards of honesty, service, and morality are subverted to private interests
6. Power, wealth, and influence become concentrated in the powerful few, rather than being distributed justly
7. Smaller entities are put at a disadvantage in the competition with larger ones because they have fewer human or monetary resources
8. Planning is not carried to implementation, and priorities are not followed, as the rational use of resources is subverted to private interests
9. Hypocrisy, cynicism, and duplicity are generated in society as people see that those who operate at levels of influence follow double standards: one for appearances and another in fact