Well, I don't need to go into an entire discourse on how sorry a state we are in as a continent decades after independence. We know what situation we are in.
There is an article (though simply written) that cuts to the chase and gives it to us without the sugar coating we often like.
I personally think there is a truth in what the mzungu says on how they perceive us. The small scale subsistence farmer or mechanic or mama mboga gets more respect as a hardworker than the degreed, white collar worker who does an eight to five and goes to the locals for a pint and that's that.
We don't push ourselves and have been found wanting in solving our own problems by innovation. We always look up to the mzungu on any social, humanitarian or technological advancement yet we claim sovereignty.
We have Harvard educated finance ministers who are zombies when given a chance to apply their knowledge in solving our financial woes. There is a plethora of examples but before I digress any further, read for yourselves below: