1 From Political to Economic Independence: Reminiscing on the Past and Thinking about the Future Ibrahim M. Kaduma Introduction What were actually the motives of our fore fathers when they launched the struggle for independence? Before and immediately after independence, radical scholars, nationalist leaders and leaders of national liberation movements had grand ideas and visions about an economically liberated Africa. ey were not only opposed to colonial domination, but envisaged a just, equitable and egalitarian society. Many were opposed to capitalist economic system and propagated societies that were more caring and where the interests of the weak were paramount. Visionary leaders, such as Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, Sekou Touré of Senegal, Patrice Lumumba of Belgian Congo(Zaire, now Democratic Republic of Congo), Leopold Sedar Senghor, Amilcar Cabral of Guinea Bissau and Eduardo Mondlane of Mozambique espoused radical visions of a society they envisioned to create. 1 ey were moved by the injustices of their time and the equal distribution of wealth and opportunities. Other theorists, such as Frantz Fanon 2 and Samir Amin 3 , provided a radical re-interpretation of independence 1 See Chris Saunders, Leadership and Liberation: Southern African Re ections, In: Jallow, B.G.(ed.), Leadership in Colonial Africa, 2014; see also Africa Renewal, 2020. 2 Frantz Fanon, e Wretched of the Earth, 1963. 3 Samir Amin, Unequal Development, 1976. 33 Ibrahim M. Kaduma