Causes of Poverty in Africa: Lost Continent or Land of
Opportunities
I. Excluding Africa from the rest of the world
1. Since 1995 there are being some economic growth in Africa in few new sectors but limited than
other sector like manufacturing and agriculture which can make a lot of richesses for Africa.
2. Globalization and technological inflation have deeply affected the continent and definitely
excluded Africa which put huge gaps between Africa and the rest of the world.
3. African countries poverty is now face by expects to find innovative ways to fight this poverty.
4. The fact is that some African countries are now emerging economically because of:
Better leadership
Willing to deal with foreign investors to build infrastructures
II. Globalization and causes of poverty in Africa
1. Better off rich or poor
The absence of Africa’s economic growth is due to:
Corruption
Ethnic violence
Political instability
Detrimental geographic impact on the economy
Oil-rich African countries exploitation by others powerful corporations by refusing to
pay much needed taxes
The problem of redistribution of wealth
Many African countries don’t create their own wealth to distribute
2. Free trade agreements against Africa
International trade policies can help Africa to growth fast rather than receiving those
international aids, it helps our continent to:
Integrate the global market by having some preferential market condition
Diffuse the benefits to inner regions
Thrive internal markets and alleviate poverty
Provide a path of fast development.
3. Africa is not poor, others made it that way
Here are some facts that demonstrate Africa is and remains the richest continent in the world:
Beauty and abundance of flora and fauna providing the most important harvest of
coffee, cocoa, fruits, vegetables, medicine… and culture.
Diverse wildlife and vast marine resources
Real treasures that those powerful countries desire and a lot of mineral resources
(which constitute the base of their industries and wealth )
Some huge oil resources
4. Barrier to poverty reduction in Africa
Although the minimal effect of our local government, international aid and market reforms on
the population, Africa still needs some mains political solutions call good governance expressed
by:
Transparent and accountable government
Rule of law
Public resources management
Free and fair election
Active civil society
5. More transparency, less corruption
International aid having some positive impact by making sure that their money is
put to the right use;
Foreign aid has become demand-driven with local communities, governments and
NGOs, so this should help Africa to:
- Foster competitiveness and efficiency of projects development
- Promote transparency
- Reduce radically corruption and embezzlement or misappropriation
- Avoid blindly shooting money in every direction which doesn’t take note the complexities of
real life in our local communities.
- Have targeted founding that provides new opportunities
- Have funding which encourages people to participate in the development of their country or
community like helping local entrepreneurs.
III. Geography and regional poverty in Africa
1-Too poor to redistribute anything?
The role of geography is also the fact that explain the absence of economic growth and aggravation of
poverty in Africa. But there are some disparities in many developing countries that the distribution of
wealth, some countries are too poor to redistribute anything because of the geographic situation.
Despite of those disparities, Africa is full of natural resources that many multinational companies
depend on but don’t pay any taxes to participate to the development.
2- The Africa paradox: it’s both rich and poor
Africa’s poverty is paradoxical because:
- The 54 countries have low population density and rich in natural resources
- The resources are not really distributed between regions and within local populations which
make separation into resources, coastal and landlock which keep most of those countries
stuck with a GDP below 2000$
2- The need for tailored development
To tailor our countries’ development, policymakers also need to:
- hink in terms of context-base strategies rather than continent based ones.
- Target those resource-poor landlocked regions by continuous aid flow in order to raise
consumption, therefore reduce poorness in Africa.
IV. Impact of poverty in health
Africa’s half population suffers from:
- Water-related diseases
- Insufficient hygiene education
- Frequent inundations
1-Deseases: a threat to development
Diseases like HIV-AIDS are a major threat to economic development of Africa because:
- It impoverishes individual, households and communities which is another main roots of poverty
in Africa.
- Wealth is still too concentrated into the hang of the minority whose are uninfected making the
gap between the rich and the poor only gets bigger and bigger, making thus for impoverished
populations to catch up with the well-off.
2- Hygiene and sanitation first
a. Sanitation and hygiene are firstly an education issue
-Hygienic habits have consistently prevented millions of deaths across the world and it happens
because of massive full-scale educational campaigns.
V. Education and poverty
1- Education – A neglected cause of poverty
- Proper education helps eradicate a great deal of diseases
- The levels of education and poverty are directly linked
- The poverty situation has been made worse in most countries because the levels of education
are too low or weak.
- Democracy seems more appropriate to alleviate poverty in Africa
2- Is democracy better suited to Africa?
Democracy. better suited Africa because, it helps to:
- Better represent of every one’s interests
-Provide the need for good governance
-Make a better redistribution of the riches
-Promote pervasiveness of corruption that drive people away from legal and institutional life.
Although all advantages of democracy, the experience reveals that most of rich countries’ wealth end up
in the hands of a very small group or elite.
3-Education to gain skills first and foremost
Universities supposed to give education that is about teaching people skills to:
-Enhance productivity
-Creativity
-Exchanges
To get that level, high education is crucial to bring Africa into the world system which helps to:
-Bridge the digital gap with others continents
Africa needs a consistent education in ICTs to develop infrastructure, make people benefit from an
advanced use of which facilitates their harness on their economic potential. This can’t be possible if we
refuse to solve electricity issues all across the continent
VI. Food and water
1-Hunger, a typical feature of African poverty
There has been no improvement in the fight against:
a- Malnutrition and hunger in Africa
b- 80% of Africans are still suffering from this issue and whom 30% are children
hunger and malnutrition are the most severe effects of poverty in Africa
2-Water, diseases and geography
Since 1977, United Nations water Conference stated that
All people have the right to access to drinking water in quantities and of a quality equal to their
basic needs.
50% of Africans still suffer from lack water in quantity and quality although the presence of
large rivers. This causes some water-related diseases like Cholera, diarrhea
3-The end of tunnel
To get Africa out of this poverty, there must be
- Constructive, appropriate help and cooperation of the international community
- And also, cooperation with those private businesses from other countries.
