What did new countries of Africa lack?

These new countries also lacked the manufacturing infrastructure to add value to their raw materials. Rich as many African countries were in cash crops and minerals, they could not process these goods themselves. Their economies were dependent on trade, and this made them vulnerable.

Is Africa a rich resource?

Africa is rich in natural resources ranging from arable land, water, oil, natural gas, minerals, forests and wildlife. The continent holds a huge proportion of the world’s natural resources, both renewables and non-renewables. The largest reserves of cobalt, diamonds, platinum and uranium in the world are in Africa.

Why has Africa struggled to develop?

Africa, a continent endowed with immense natural and human resources as well as great cultural, ecological and economic diversity, remains underdeveloped. Most African nations suffer from military dictatorships, corruption, civil unrest and war, underdevelopment and deep poverty.

Why do some African countries still struggle to develop?

If we are to be honest with ourselves as Africans, the only reason why the continent continues to struggle despite its rich natural resources is poor leadership, greed and selfish interests inclusive. After all, African countries are not the only ones that were colonised; other countries were also colonised as well.

How many countries make up Africa’s least developed countries?

Africa’s ‘group of 33’ Since 1971 when the least developed countries (LDCs) category was created by the UN, sub-Saharan African countries have dominated the list. Four decades later, with 33 members (only 14 of the region’s 47 countries are not LDCs), sub-Saharan Africa still maintains the biggest regional presence in the group.

Where are Africa’s resource-poor countries?

For comparison, we also present a group of Africa’s resource-poor countries. The 10 with the least natural capital—the resource-poor sub-Saharan Africa countries—are Seychelles, Saô Tomé and Príncipe, Cabo Verde, Comoros, Gambia, Mauritius, Lesotho, Guinea-Bissau, Swaziland, and Burundi.

Why has Africa fallen behind the Western world?

Africa has fallen behind because its people, despite their historical abilities in science, have not done this in an organised manner. The more the western world was able to invent and innovate in the past 300 years, the more “civilised” it became.

What drives Africa’s wealth structure?

Natural resources dominate the structure of wealth in Africa: the share of natural capital in the continent’s aggregate wealth is the second highest in the world after the countries that form the hydrocarbon-rich Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) (Figure 2).