African countries have untapped potential in their natural resources and especially in their young and unemployed populations.

The begging-bowl approach that African nations have continued to try to implement is a process that simply doesn’t work. So why do African leaders continue to go that route?

Corruption is not a victimless crime. Thieving leaders and ministers run their countries into the ground by self-dealing rather than ensuring their people have the opportunities to become prosperous.

This month, host, John Akhile, author of Unleashed: a New Paradigm of African Trade with the World, tackles two topics: a bad move with Tanzanian policy and Western nations’ negative perceptions of doing business in Africa.

Out of Nigeria comes shocking, yet all too familiar, news about egregious corruption committed at the hands of the country’s politicians. While 50 percent of Nigerians live on $50 a month, their senators make millions every year. But, there is hope.

It is the leaders of African countries that have the power to hold whole nations back or to take the necessary steps to create an environment that allows for prosperity.

The African continent is rich in natural resources, and many African nations export those resources as raw materials. However, it is crucial for those same nations to convert those raw materials into finished products to export instead.

There were several noteworthy things that happened this past month: a military coup d'état unseated President Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Switzerland has agreed to release $350 million dollars back to Nigeria, and a UNIDO’s General Assembly event was held in Vienna, Austria.

The benefits that compensatory trade strategies can offer a country are tried and proven to aid in the development of a prosperous economy. From Asia to Europe to South America the ideas of countertrade have been used successfully and it is time for African nations to discuss how they can implement them too.

The time to act is now. African leaders need to think critically about how they can generate hard currency, create employment opportunities, and encourage trade with other nations on the African continent and the world. African nations should be at the forefront of innovation and creative thinking in an urgent effort to forge a path to prosperity for their people.