Ghanian economist and author George Ayittey founded the Free Africa Foundation in 1993 to serve as a catalyst for reform. In his speech at the Oslo Freeodm Forum in 2012, Ayittey provided a historic overview of the oppressive and bloody rule of military leaders in Africa. He described the way in which these generals have looted countless African countries and devastated much of the continent, and he proposed a set of practical steps to keep African states out of the hands of their militaries.