Business associate of Ian Hannam, potential new owner of AirtelTigo makes controversial comments about African colonisation
Erik Prince, an American businessman and the founder of the private military company Blackwater, has made some controversial comments about the recolonisation of Africa.
Driving The News
In a video posted online on social media, Erik Prince stated that African countries are incapable of governing themselves and they may need to be “recolonised“.
What He Said
“If so many of these countries around the world are incapable of governing themselves, it’s time for us to just put the imperial hat back on, to say, we’re going to govern those countries … ’cause enough is enough, we’re done being invaded.
You can say that about pretty much all of Africa, they’re incapable of governing themselves.”
Why This Matters
Erik Prince is reported to be a close business associate of Ian Hannam, a businessman whose company signed a joint venture to fully acquire a full stake in AirtelTigo (Now AT) from the Ghana Government.
In a news report, Erik Prince, traveled to Venezuela for a secret meeting with their Vice President about their country’s resources in 2020. In the report, the secret meeting was reportedly arranged by Ian Hannam.
Zoom Out
The AirtelTigo acquisition has come under scrutiny from civil society organisations including Bright Simmons, who questioned the terms of the deal as well as the sale of the company.
