Today’s Issues: Africa

1. Today’s Issues: Africa Chapter 20

2. Economic Development • Most African nations have little manufacturing of their own. Their economies are based on providing raw materials—oil, minerals, or agricultural products—to the world’s industrialized countries. • A history of problems: • Exploitation by European colonizers. • Millions of Africans sold into slavery • Many died in harsh working conditions • Little concerns for the environment • It has limited economic growth • Political instability

3. Today, most African countries are worse off economically than they were in the 1960s. • Africa’s economic status: • Average income have decrease compare to worlds incomes • Africa account for only 1 percent of total world GNP. • 1.5 percent of total dollar value of world exports • Both small numbers when you compare them to its population and resources. • Infrastructure is needed • Low or no technology

4. Reducing Debt • Despite this legacy of exploitation, African nations are struggling to build economics based on the careful use of natural and human resources. • European powers did not invest (transportation, education, businesses) in Africa. By 1997, total debt of sub-Saharan Govt.—227 billion dollars. Western leaders urged to forgive loans. Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Southern African Development Community (SADC) Both striving to promote trade. Examples: removing tax duties and creating a common currency.

5. Building Industries • The economy of many African nations is based on the export of raw materials. • Many African’s countries rely on only one or two principal commodities. • They are called “one-commodity” countries. A commodity is an agriculture or mining product that can be sold. • It makes them unstable, because they only depend on that one commodity. • They need to diversify, by promoting manufacturing.

6. Education Workers • A key to developing Africa’s economics is improving its education system to provide people with a high level of skills. • Large barrier to economic development is an unschooled population. • Education for women has only increase about 1.2 years in the last 40 yrs. • Civil war have destroyed school systems. • Algeria and Mauritius are success stories: 94% and 83%.

7. Disease and Despair • Controlling AIDS and other diseases is essential if Africans are to improve their quality of life and live a normal lifespan. • Inadequate sanitation and lack of a clean water supply can lead to cholera. • Mosquitos carrying malaria. • AIDS and HIV create the most severe problems.

8. AIDS Stalks the Continent • In 2000, AIDS took the lives of 3 millions people world wide, of those 2.4 lived in Sub-Saharan Africa. • It has reduce the life expectancy drop from 58 to 39 years. • In 2000, 26 million people were living with either HIV or AIDS. • People who are sick, work less, earn less and are push into poverty. • UNAIDS, a UN program that studies AIDS epidemic predicts that 4.63 billions are needed to fight AIDS.

9. Nation response: • Spraying programs • Global Fund for Children’s Vaccines pledge 250 million • Improving their health care systems. • Strategies against AIDS: • Team up with Brazil to work together on AIDS prevention and care. • Success Stories: • Uganda and Senegal, have had success in reducing the spread of HIV. • Same day HIV tests and education programs.

10. European in Africa • Portuguese ships, looking for trade routes to Asia, landed in Africa. • Mid-1800s Europeans knew of Africa rich natural resources. • Wanted them to fuel their own industrial economies and establish markets to sell and trade their goods. • Berlin Conference set up the rules to divide Africa. • Most Africans countries gain their independence by the 1960s. • European did long-term damage to Africa: affecting its cultural & ethnic boundaries; and its economy.

11. Challenges of Independence • When European powers left, they did not leave stable governments. • For 40 yrs. they suffers through dictatorships and civil wars. • European power did not understand the incredible ethnic diversity. • Many groups living in the same country are historical enemies. • Difficulty getting different ethnic groups to cooperate in building stable democracies. • Many have never experience democratic government.

12. Cause for hope • Establishing a democratic tradition is a primary goal. • Political stability for peace and prosperity. • 1994, in South Africa, whites finally yielded power to the black majority. • In 2001, Ghana swore in a new president in a peaceful transfer of power.