How Favoritism Within Tribes Has Hindered the Emergence of a Merit-Based System in Governance and Business- 

When Loyalty Outweighs Merit- 

In many African societies, loyalty to one’s tribe, clan, or kinship group remains a deeply rooted cultural value — a reflection of centuries-old traditions where trust, survival, and cooperation depended on community bonds.

However, in modern governance and business, this same loyalty has often mutated into favoritism — a practice where personal or tribal connections outweigh competence, qualifications, and performance.

Across Nigeria and much of Africa, tribal favoritism has not only distorted governance but also crippled the potential for merit-driven progress.

When people are rewarded for who they know rather than what they can do, institutions lose efficiency, innovation stalls, and public trust erodes.

What began as cultural solidarity has, in many cases, turned into a destructive force against meritocracy and national development.

1. From Kinship Loyalty to Institutional Bias

Traditional African societies were organized around family and clan networks where cooperation ensured survival. Leadership, though often hereditary, was balanced by systems of consultation and accountability within the community. People trusted their kin because governance was local, and loyalty was mutual.

But as modern states emerged — especially after colonialism — this kinship model extended into formal politics and administration, where it became problematic. Instead of fostering trust, it created a culture of “help your own” even at the expense of competence.

In contemporary settings, this manifests as:

• Hiring or promoting relatives or people from one’s ethnic group;

• Granting contracts, scholarships, or business opportunities based on tribal identity;

• Protecting incompetent officials because of shared heritage;

• Excluding qualified candidates because they come from a “rival” tribe.

What was once an expression of communal care has become a systemic form of favoritism that corrodes professionalism and equity.

2. The Cost to Governance: Corruption in Disguise

Favoritism is one of the silent drivers of corruption in governance. When appointments are made based on ethnicity, loyalty, or personal relationships rather than merit, mediocrity becomes institutionalized.

a. Nepotism in Public Appointments

In Nigeria, political offices and civil service positions are often distributed through “federal character” — a constitutional principle meant to ensure inclusion of all regions and ethnic groups. While noble in intent, it is frequently abused. Politicians use it to justify appointing loyalists from their home states or tribes, regardless of qualification.

The result? Ministries and parastatals filled with underqualified individuals who owe their allegiance not to the public, but to their political patrons. Policy execution becomes inefficient, procurement becomes corrupt, and oversight collapses.

b. Tribal Favoritism and Policy Distortion

When favoritism dictates appointments, decision-making becomes biased. Development projects are often concentrated in regions that voted for or are ethnically aligned with those in power. Roads, hospitals, or schools appear where political loyalty is strongest, not where need is greatest.

This selective development fuels resentment, deepens inequality, and perpetuates cycles of ethnic competition — where citizens no longer see government as a national institution, but as a tool of tribal advancement.

c. Undermining Civil Service Integrity

The civil service, once envisioned as the neutral backbone of governance, has been weakened by tribal favoritism. Promotions are often tied to ethnic patronage rather than performance, leading to demoralization among competent officers. Over time, talent exits the public sector, leaving behind a bureaucracy sustained by connections rather than capability.

3. The Economic Toll: Meritocracy Replaced by “Connection Economy”

In business, favoritism operates through informal networks that determine who gets access to contracts, loans, and opportunities. This creates what many Africans call the “connection economy” — where who you know matters more than what you can offer.

a. The Monopoly of Patronage

Many entrepreneurs face barriers not because their ideas lack merit, but because they lack political or tribal connections. Government contracts, import licenses, or subsidies are awarded to insiders who have personal ties to those in power. This discourages innovation and entrepreneurship, since competition is not based on quality or efficiency, but on influence.

b. Business Networks Built on Tribal Loyalty

In Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, and other diverse nations, business networks often follow ethnic lines. While these networks can foster solidarity, they also exclude capable individuals from other groups. For instance, certain industries or trade associations become dominated by one ethnic bloc, creating economic enclaves that mirror political tribalism.

Such patterns reduce market dynamism. Businesses that thrive on favoritism rather than excellence have little incentive to improve quality, reduce prices, or invest in innovation. The entire economy suffers from inefficiency and consumer distrust.

c. Financial Misallocation

Favoritism leads to poor allocation of resources. Contracts are awarded to companies without technical competence, resulting in abandoned projects, inflated costs, or substandard output. The ripple effect is devastating: infrastructure fails, public funds are wasted, and foreign investors lose confidence in the market’s fairness.

4. The Human Cost: Erosion of Trust and Talent

Favoritism within tribes destroys the very foundation of collective progress — trust. When people see that success depends on belonging rather than effort, cynicism grows.

a. Youth Disillusionment

Young people who study hard and innovate are often sidelined by less qualified individuals with better connections. This discourages excellence and fosters the mentality that “hard work doesn’t pay.” Many of Africa’s brightest minds leave for countries where merit is rewarded — contributing to the brain drain that hampers development.

b. Fractured National Identity

Favoritism breeds alienation. Citizens begin to see government as “theirs” or “theirs,” not “ours.” This erosion of national unity makes it difficult to rally citizens around collective goals such as economic reform or social justice.

c. Internal Division Within Tribes

Ironically, favoritism also divides the tribe itself. When leaders favor only their immediate families, clans, or loyalists, they alienate others from the same ethnic group. What begins as “tribal solidarity” degenerates into intra-tribal inequality and rivalry.

5. The Cultural Dilemma: When Tradition Collides with Modernity

One must acknowledge that African societies are not inherently opposed to meritocracy. Traditional governance systems often valued wisdom, courage, and skill. Village councils or age-grade systems selected leaders based on community trust and proven ability, not mere lineage.

The distortion occurred when these communal values were transplanted into the bureaucratic structures of modern states. The personal obligations of kinship — once confined to small communities — now operate at a national level, where they undermine professionalism.

In other words, tribal loyalty itself is not the problem; the problem is the failure to adapt it to modern governance. In societies where public office is treated as personal property, the blending of kinship loyalty with political power produces corruption disguised as cultural obligation.

6. Breaking the Cycle: Toward a Merit-Based Ethic

Moving from favoritism to meritocracy requires both institutional reform and cultural renewal. It demands a deliberate effort to replace emotional loyalty with ethical fairness.

a. Strengthening Institutions

Transparent recruitment, independent civil service commissions, and digitalized hiring processes can reduce human bias in public appointments. Merit-based performance evaluations should replace quota-driven promotions.

b. Enforcing Accountability

Public servants and business leaders must face penalties for nepotism or corruption. Whistleblower protections, audit transparency, and open contracting platforms can make favoritism more difficult to hide.

c. Civic Education

Citizens need to be re-educated on the difference between loyalty and justice. A culture that glorifies “helping our own” at the expense of competence must evolve toward celebrating excellence regardless of origin.

d. Economic Inclusivity

By decentralizing opportunities — such as local business grants and innovation hubs — the state can reduce dependence on tribal gatekeepers and empower merit-based entrepreneurship across all regions.

e. Role of the Private Sector

Businesses must adopt transparent hiring and procurement standards. Merit-based promotion and diversity in management can model the fairness government fails to achieve.

7. Reclaiming Ubuntu: The Moral Imperative

African philosophy, especially Ubuntu — “I am because we are” — offers a pathway out of tribal favoritism. True Ubuntu does not mean blind loyalty to one’s kin, but recognition of shared humanity and fairness. A person who upholds Ubuntu serves all equally, not just those of his bloodline.

Reviving this moral foundation can help redefine leadership as service, not privilege. When compassion meets competence, when cultural identity aligns with fairness, Africa can reconcile its traditions with modern governance.

From Familiar Faces to Capable Hands

Favoritism within tribes may begin as an act of solidarity, but it ends as a betrayal of progress. It turns governance into nepotism, business into monopoly, and citizenship into exclusion. The result is a continent where talent is wasted, innovation stifled, and institutions weakened.

The path forward lies not in rejecting tribal identity, but in transcending its misuse. Africa’s next generation must choose between two systems: one built on connections and another built on competence.

When a society begins to reward excellence over ethnicity — when a young woman from any tribe can rise by her ability, not her surname — that is the day true meritocracy will be born.

And perhaps then, the dream of a just and prosperous Africa will finally move from rhetoric to reality.