This was founded on the desire of Africans to demonstrate their autonomy. “It is not surprising that most states on the continent adopted a socialist outlook after independence. Having freed countries from colonial rule, the task now was to reduce dependence on the West and restructure economies to ensure that local development needs were prioritized. Only in this way is it possible to reduce poverty and guarantee social well-being for all. Few African leaders saw capitalism and liberalism as appropriate ways to achieve these goals…this is not to say that African leaders adopted socialism as prescribed by the Soviet Union.” (Thomson 2010, 38) After years of domination by European powers, African leaders saw the importance of total independence and self-reliance. The conclusion towards socialism was actually made to promote self-sincerity. African socialism did not follow the traditional structure of classical socialism (Thomson 2010,