Why is Africa so poor?

[Berryfolia]

A lot of people are saying “corruption”.sorry,that’s not an explanation that’s an observation.There is a why there is a lot of corruption in Africa and it has everything to do with western foreign aid and economic interventionism in various states of Africa.

Before mentioning the two causes lets dispel the myth that it was due to colonialism.There have been about 40years since the vast majority of Africa was decolonized.To compare,40years after the liberation of the United States as colonies they were a serious world economic power and growing at a REAL GDP rate of 5%-6% per year.

The majority of African countries have done no such thing 40years after the end of their colonization so clearly there is a different reason for the poverty other than colonization.
One clear difference between the former independence movement of the Americas and Africa is that Africa receives a mountain of foreign “aid” every year.

FOREIGN AID: So what is it?
It is a transfer of wealth between two GOVERNMENT,debased entirely from economic growth and good government.Obviously this provides a slew of perverse incentives.Think of it,if I give you a business but regardless of your performance you will always make 5billion dollars,what incentive do you have to make your business ethical,efficient and transparent? You don’t! Infact, you will probably plunder the business for even more money because success is detached from good management.
“You see,a well managed state knows that in order to be successful parasites they must suck a minimal amount of blood out of the economy(in the form of taxes)so as not to seriously stifle economic growth”. In this way the economy will expand and with it,more potential blood to suck. If,however,the parasite has an unlimited food source without having to depend on the victim’s health,they will suck so much blood out of the victim that the victim dies.

Foreign aid is the unlimited food source to most African states and politicians.They don’t care about their countries’ economic health because they get billions a year anyway from their western friends.All these billions are more than enough to provide them with immense personal riches and a nicely sized army of thugs to suppress local revolts.
So is it any surprise that most governments in Africa plunder their own economics through heavy taxes,regulation,and inflationary monetary policy?
In a world without financial aid they would have to be very careful to keep taxes low and let people and businesses flourish because, of course, if they ruin the economy,they also ruin the extortion(tax)inflows and therefore,their personal wealth and military power.

“But in our perverse diplomatic world of foreign aid,government are actually incentivized to keep their countries poor! In this way they can justify the continued foreign aid!

[franky1]

simply put though..
over 40 years ago western countries invaded africa(big agri). took over alot of fertile land and displaced alot of farming families
those families no longer had jobs or businesses and instead had to live in remote shanty towns far from their old homes and not near the water sources that now feed big-agri.

these shanty towns were then supplied with foreign aid as a compensation for being displaced. which also furthered the culture of not enabling those displaced to start new business. after all if they are handed bowls of rice for free why grow rice. and how can they then sell rice they grow if the foreign aid competitor is giving to them and neighbours for free

even things like starting a solar or well-drilling business is not required locally because international charity gives them solar and wells for free, so there is no real drive to start any business due to getting free handouts

yep 40 years later the free hand-outs are still happening which just means no chance to bootstrap and kickstart new farming/businesses in the new area's the displaced have settled.

..
similar things were seen in other places(poor countries not in africa).. like in haiti..
haiti did have solar and cellular businesses in haiti pre natural disaster.. but then the clinton foundation flew in with its american teams of solar and cellular businesses who provided all the haitians with solar and telecommunications to get them electrified/communicating again. the clinton foundation did not fund the local haitian domestic solar/cellular businesses to get back on their feet. but instead just gave away american solar/cellular tech to haitians. which killed off the possibility of haitian businesses getting back in action

also things like clothing and footwear. yep american footwear businesses that have 'ethical' businesses of sending shoes to poverty countries, ends up killing off the domestic business of footwear in those poverty nations

[Bushdark]

Many African leaders have been brainwashed which is why many of them only thinks about their well-being without considering the well-being of the people. The white colonists are the ones control many of the raw material and African assets till today. They see the continent as poor, as people that need their financial assistance everytime since the stupid leaders can not work together and fix the continent. Greed has been the reason why African continent will remain poor if the leaders do not think straight and look for a way to make things work again and stop depending of financial assistance from the western world with conditions.

[iBaba]

Many African leaders have been brainwashed which is why many of them only thinks about their well-being without considering the well-being of the people. The white colonists are the ones control many of the raw material and African assets till today. They see the continent as poor, as people that need their financial assistance everytime since the stupid leaders can not work together and fix the continent. Greed has been the reason why African continent will remain poor if the leaders do not think straight and look for a way to make things work again and stop depending of financial assistance from the western world with conditions.

But when are our leaders going to wake up from their slumber? Are we going to gold our arms and keep complaining that our leaders have been brainwashed, and for such reason remain under the mercy of the neo-colonialism practiced against us? At a point, something has to be done and our leaders are old enough to understand that there's no place better than their home and no matter how they assist the colonists in achieving their own goals at the detriment of ours, it will equally have a long term effect on us, because if their they don't feel the direct impact of the inactions and mislead, their children of many generations will be affected by the bad policies and choices made by them today.

I also have the believe that our leaders are truly brainwashed and it is an effect of the colonialism faced by them and the immediate generation before theirs. As time goes on, and new generational leaders are born, the control of the mindset being faced by our leaders today will gradually face out and we will witness situations where the colonists will find it difficult to penetrate the systems again, I believe the same thing is happening in the francophone countries currently resisting the powers and controls of their colonists.

[OgNasty]

Africa faces many tough challenges due to the climate and lack of established infrastructure.  There has also not been very much innovation in the region.  Other countries view this as an opportunity (China) to get their hands on land without having to give much to the native population.  Aid is usually not spent wisely and leaders are more concerned with short term personal riches than creating anything lasting for the country.  They have great wildlife and a lot of coast land available.  At some point in the future Africa will thrive...  Just not for many years.

[Swordsoffreedom]

Personally , I think the two main reasons why Africa is poor are corruption and political instability. And these  two things are related to each other . Corruption is high in Africa because of political instability. On the other hand, corruption  is not able to stabilize africa politically because of high corruption. Corrupt people are not allowing the country to stabilize.

I would say  that africa has a lot of resources. But since African countries are not politically  stable or strong, they do not receive sufficient assistance from foreign countries. Foreign investment is very low in African countries. This can also  be considered one of the reasons why they are poor.

As far as I know , African people are very hardworking. However  they lack adequate education. In fact, corruption, political instability, poverty and illiteracy are related to each other. Africa is not poor for just one  reason.

[legendbtc]

Personally , I think the two main reasons why Africa is poor are corruption and political instability.

Corruption and political instability go hand in hand and are at the root of poverty in poor countries, not just Africa. This is basic knowledge and the OP also made it clear that "corruption" is not an explanation he needs to know because it's something that no one doesn't know. What he wanted to know was the underlying cause behind it all?

[AmaGold70]

Africa is full of energy and potentials and it's sad to see the high level of poverty around us, I won't entire point fingers across to the western world alone for our predicament because two of the major factors for this poverty is corruption and bad governance regardless of our colonial past, in Africa we have a lot of natural resources and could help our economical problems but our leaders have been brainwashed and instead of brainstorming on how to use our natural resources for the betterment of the continent, they instead rely on taking endless loans from the western world and making us slaves to them (the slavery is still on) but our leaders have been blinded by greed to even notice, We are hard working people blessed with natural resources and yet we are still in abject poverty. The embezzlement of public funds by our corrupted leaders is a torn on our flesh.

[Swordsoffreedom]

Personally , I think the two main reasons why Africa is poor are corruption and political instability.

Corruption and political instability go hand in hand and are at the root of poverty in poor countries, not just Africa. This is basic knowledge and the OP also made it clear that "corruption" is not an explanation he needs to know because it's something that no one doesn't know. What he wanted to know was the underlying cause behind it all?

If you ask me to find another reason, I can give two more reasons. First, lack of proper planning. And second, lack of attention from foreign countries.

We can look at the UAE as an example. This country has developed very quickly. Their leaders knew very well that Dubai does not have much oil. So they focused on the tourism sector. And they are successful because of proper planning. Most of the countries in the Middle East are dependent on oil money, but Dubai is different in this regard. This has been possible only because of proper leadership and planning. African countries are not getting proper leadership

If African countries had received sufficient investment from foreign countries, they could have developed. But foreign countries are not very interested in investing in Africa. This can also be considered one of the reasons for their backwardness.

[letteredhub]

simply put though..
over 40 years ago western countries invaded africa(big agri). took over alot of fertile land and displaced alot of farming families
those families no longer had jobs or businesses and instead had to live in remote shanty towns far from their old homes and not near the water sources that now feed big-agri.

these shanty towns were then supplied with foreign aid as a compensation for being displaced. which also furthered the culture of not enabling those displaced to start new business. after all if they are handed bowls of rice for free why grow rice. and how can they then sell rice they grow if the foreign aid competitor is giving to them and neighbours for free

even things like starting a solar or well-drilling business is not required locally because international charity gives them solar and wells for free, so there is no real drive to start any business due to getting free handouts

yep 40 years later the free hand-outs are still happening which just means no chance to bootstrap and kickstart new farming/businesses in the new area's the displaced have settled.

Your sarcasm sinks in just well in the phenomenon of things. It so disheartening that these fetters continue to be found in contemporary Africa after many decades. The implication was a delivery of a system of corrupted political leadership to maintain their stronghold on these lands.

There's hardly no African country today with political tension or instability and this is happening to the benefits of the Western world, disguising as aids and support system while they siphon resources from the lands to their home countries for more technological advancements. Regretfully, it's an act that's allowed to continue till date because most African leaders has chosen to be selfish, self enriching at the expense of their people and to continue staying relevant they just have to do the bids of their foreign masters.

[Hispo]

Corruption is a simple way to describe what goes on in countries in Africa which could be considered to be underdeveloped and unfortunately have to deal with politicians who are not qualified to build a good homeland for the people of those African countries.
Also, One needs to consider there is a new way of colonization going on in the continent, now it is about big European and American companies taking over fertile land and minerals from Africa, with the consent of corrupt politicians, leaving nothing for the people, only crumbs.

To leave poverty African countries need to have both political changes and cultural changes which allow them to get rid of those low quality leaders which are destroying the future of coming generations.

[Y3shot]

Africa faces many tough challenges due to the climate and lack of established infrastructure.  There has also not been very much innovation in the region.  Other countries view this as an opportunity (China) to get their hands on land without having to give much to the native population.  Aid is usually not spent wisely and leaders are more concerned with short term personal riches than creating anything lasting for the country.  They have great wildlife and a lot of coast land available.  At some point in the future Africa will thrive...  Just not for many years.

The developed countries we have today they came across so many challenges but that didn't stop them from getting what they want. For me I think Africa is just the way it is because the people are not trying to make things change. Africa is the richest continent when we talk about minerals and natural resources,  all you are looking for on earth is in the surface of Africa. What we have is what can change the Continent by far but it seems we don't know what we have and we don't know how to use it.

[DeathAngel]

Africa's poverty comes from factors like historical colonisation, political instability, corruption & lack of infrastructure. Many countries rely on exporting raw materials which limits economic growth. Things like inadequate education, healthcare & climate change further hinder progress making it difficult for many Africans to escape poverty.

[Basels]

I can say there are several reasons why the continent is poor. One they were impoverished with slave trade for 400 years by the Europeans. Two, their political independence was disrupted by the creation of artificial non-functional countries made up of tribes and ethnic groups whose outlooks were tangential one to another. Their economic independence was altered through displacement of native cultures and the imposition of western values that made the continent dependent on foreign import instead of local production. Agencies such as World Bank and IMF see to it that indigenous economic models are not exploited to solve the problems of Africa.

[Mr Reporter]

Well if you check Africa is a vast and diverse country it economic growth and situation cannot be attributed to a single reason, here are some historical facts why Africa is poor know for slave trade its disrupted Africa society which lead to significant population losses and contributed to the continent underdevelopment, Africa rapid growth of population can put pressure on resources, infrastructure and services, making it challenging to reduce poverty.

[FatFork]

Personally , I think the two main reasons why Africa is poor are corruption and political instability.

Corruption and political instability go hand in hand and are at the root of poverty in poor countries, not just Africa. This is basic knowledge and the OP also made it clear that "corruption" is not an explanation he needs to know because it's something that no one doesn't know. What he wanted to know was the underlying cause behind it all?

Yeah, basic knowledge doesn't cut it when we're talking about centuries of people being taken advantage of. And how money and power still aren't distributed equally worldwide. Colonialism directly robbed those countries and their people. And these systems are still messing them over today, stealing resources and rigging economics so the rich get richer. It isn't just about some bad leader being corrupt or unstable. This whole thing is bigger than that.

[Zanab247]

Africa's poverty comes from factors like historical colonisation, political instability, corruption & lack of infrastructure. Many countries rely on exporting raw materials which limits economic growth. Things like inadequate education, healthcare & climate change further hinder progress making it difficult for many Africans to escape poverty.

You are right, those things are the major challenge Africa countries are facing and it has caused poverty and hardship in their land. The moment Africa leaders kick against corruption, lack of infrastructure and lack of exporting raw materials into other countries, they will start coming out from poverty because those are some of the things that make  other nations to develop, and without all those things be eliminate, it will be hard for Africa to move forward.

Many of the Africa leaders know that by establish all those things in the country will boost the economic of Africa, but they will prefer to establish all those schools, hospitals, companies in USA or Europeans country were it will not have any positive effect to Africa countries economic.

[Fiatless]

To leave poverty African countries need to have both political changes and cultural changes which allow them to get rid of those low quality leaders which are destroying the future of coming generations.

Africa's problem is very complicated. If the people want to get rid of a corrupt government, some external forces who have an interest in the resources of the country will begin to influence the elections. The US and its allies manipulated elections in my country and made sure that only their puppets won presidential elections.

If the people forcefully install the leadership of their choice. These powerful nations will result in sponsoring coups or conflicts to destabilise the government. Countries like Burkina Faso, Niger and a few others that decided to reject external influence have seen an increase in attacks by anti-government forces.

Except African nations get sincere or selfless support from some powerful nations, they might still remain in poverty. There should be a willingness to help Africa fight corruption and not to shield corrupt politicians by allowing them to launder money.

[justinlamode]

Africa is not poor in natural and human resources, Africa is one of the most blessed continent in the world. Africa have huge deposit of natural resources, good distribution of fresh and salt water, access to the sea, arable lands and the best weather condition you can think of. Africa is only poor due to their inability to convert these blessings to money and amenities that will benefit her citizens. I don't want to go into much details regarding why they fail to make this transition but the truth is that Africa is not poor per say, what it lack is leadership and when that is fixed, Africa will become the envy of the world.

[Accardo]

Africans are selfish, they only help those who scratch or will scratch their back, it'll be difficult to find a typical African home that extends educational training to someone who doesn't belong to the house or family.

Similar habit extends to all walks of life in the continent, the heads of multiple departments prefer to add their relations to fill up government offices, instead of going for the capable hands or experienced people.

For instance, athletes are now selected by politicians, leaving the best behind, and adding up those who would be loyal to the political representatives and do all instructions given to them. Hence, winning world sport competitions like Olympics and world cup is almost impossible for the continent.

Africans must first acknowledge that everything isn't about politics or adding close relations to represent nations, growth requires competent people, not just about building wealth amongst a small circle, it won't contribute to national or continental economy.