Africa: A Poor Nation?
Many see Africa as a nation ridden with poverty, hunger, financial debt and fraudulent activities. They imagine a place where young black boys run around naked, hungry and in dire need of financial assistance. The media and Hollywood celebrities do not help to critically showcase how exactly the situation is in Africa. All American celebrities have at least a cause to alleviate poverty, HIV/AID, and illiteracy in the “poorest nation" in the world. TV commercials are continually showing famous actors, actresses and singers carrying a HIV stricken child, a child afflicted with Kwashiorkor, Beriberi or with some other mortal sickness. However, this is the only image projected about Africa; the media does not include in its information, the reason for such situation: if it is just in a little sector of Africa or its whole continent in need, or why Africa apparently does not have the capability to help herself.
Africa, a continent, has 276 million undernourished people, out of the 925 million malnourished individuals all over the world (FAO). Therefore, Africa hosts 30 percent of the world’s undernourished citizens. It is only fair that the Western governments and the United Nation do everything in their power to alleviate this world endemic. Which is why institutions like World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), World Fair Trade Organization and so many other non-governmental organizations are focused on and mandated to minimize the apparent poverty in Africa.
Africa also has over $200 billion collectively in debt; as a result, some African countries spend almost $14 billion annually on debt service, diverting resources from HIV/AIDS programs, education and other important needs. And Africa’s economy is struggling with the weight of this external debt. For example in “Uganda, the government spends US$3 per person annually on health and education and US$17 per person annually on debt repayment, while 1 in every 5 Ugandan children die of preventable diseases before reaching the age of 5 years.” Also in Zambia 72,000 people lost their jobs in a Structural Adjustment Program induced retrenchment. The SAP’s, created to contain the debt crises in the Sub-Sahara African countries, introduced a strict anti-inflationary monetary policy, privatization of public enterprises, dismantling of foreign exchange controls and more flexible labor markets (“Fact Sheet on Debt Africa”).
In light of the above statistics, it is sensible to conclude that Africa is indeed a struggling geographical location with a crumbling economy. I totally agree with above statistics; I believe that each organization conducted extensive researches on the subject before making such information available. However, I believe that these above issues reveal just one side of the subject, and that most people are deprived of the whole truth. So many people make generalized statements about Africa without realizing their inaccuracy. First and foremost, Africa is not a nation as most people like to say; it is a continent with about 57 countries and nations.
Africa is a vast land form with different regions: North, East, South and West Africa. Each region is as different as anyone could imagine. The South and the East is the Savanna region with its Sahara plains and exotic animal that most people associate with Africa. The Northern part of Africa includes countries like Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia, and Western Sahara, with light skinned and Arabic Africans. The Western part is made up of tropical and rain forest countries. The tropics and rain forests do not have many animals; however, they have diverse and exotic cultures and traditions. Therefore it is misrepresentation to lump Africa as a whole; Africans do not have the same history, culture, language, ethnic origin and same governance.
It is also not fair when one part of Africa is presented as the totality of the continent. As a Nigerian born citizen, I have seen this happen, first hand, on many occasions. In my previous university, I was involved in AIESEC, an international platform for young people to develop and discover their potentials. And one of the ways AIESEC does its mandate is through global internship exchange. And so, it's common that every time an intern gets to Nigeria, they always exclaim on how different the country is from what they had envisioned. They had prepped themselves for a society of rural development and a fraudulent society, since Lagos is always projected as a place for thievery and butchery. Instead when they step into Lagos, they are met with amazing people, highly industrialized cities, and no wild animals. My point is when external organizations and individuals talk about Africa, it would help everyone if they state what part is actually affected and in dire need of help.
The “Fact Sheet on Debt Africa,” states that Africa has $200 billion in debt. However, some nations in Africa are actually very prosperous. For example, as of 1999, my own country of Nigeria had over $107 billion of its private wealth in foreign economies. In UK, two million Nigerians are worth £94 billion: £84 billion in real estate, £7 in vehicles, £3 billion in stocks and shares (Malgwi). Presently, it is estimated that Nigeria has over $400 billion in foreign economy. And these are money transported illegally outside the countries by corrupt leaders that the country has had for over 40 years. Also, “Nigeria is the 50th-largest export market for U.S. goods and the 14th-largest exporter of goods to the United States. The United States is Nigeria's largest trading partner after the United Kingdom” (Bureau of African Affairs). So hypothetically, Nigeria alone is able to fix Africa, and it is not the only buoyant country, Countries like South Africa, Egypt, Algeria, Libya etc. which all together collate over $2000 billion in gross domestic product can effectively take care of each other ("World's Richest Countries."). I have always been and would always say that Africa is rich enough to help itself and develop itself, but our growths are stunted by the outside world; the Western world in particular. Rich African countries should be recognized so that they can stop hiding under the generalization of Africa as being poor, and stop looting money away to foreign economy; rather they should invest such money in economies of less privileged African countries.
This is a point that Dambisa Moyo, a Wall Street Journalist, agrees with; in his article “Why Foreign Aid is Hurting Africa,” he states that “aid to Africa has made the poor poorer, and the growth slower. The insidious aid culture has left African countries more debt-laden, more inflation-prone, more vulnerable to the vagaries of the currency markets and more unattractive to higher-quality investment.” He also states that “A constant stream of "free" money is a perfect way to keep an inefficient or simply bad government in power, for as aid flows in there is nothing more for the government to do.” The government then does not need to raise taxes. And as long as it pays the army, it does not have to take account of its disgruntled citizens. (Dambisa).
Africa is not a poor nation; however, it is a continent with some poor countries. I understand the need to help those in need and also greatly appreciate charities and organizations that are dedicated to helping the poor African nations. But I propose that this assistance be done in a new way: first a clear demarcation must be made to effectively show which countries are in need of help, encouraging various African leaders to step up to the plate and take ownership of their own issues; also the western media needs to change their reporting tactics and stop showcasing only the bad side of Africa. Then people can see exactly what we are: a continent like any other, with its ups and downs. Then, people are able to make holistic conclusions about the continent.
Africa, a continent, has 276 million undernourished people, out of the 925 million malnourished individuals all over the world (FAO). Therefore, Africa hosts 30 percent of the world’s undernourished citizens. It is only fair that the Western governments and the United Nation do everything in their power to alleviate this world endemic. Which is why institutions like World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), World Fair Trade Organization and so many other non-governmental organizations are focused on and mandated to minimize the apparent poverty in Africa.
Africa also has over $200 billion collectively in debt; as a result, some African countries spend almost $14 billion annually on debt service, diverting resources from HIV/AIDS programs, education and other important needs. And Africa’s economy is struggling with the weight of this external debt. For example in “Uganda, the government spends US$3 per person annually on health and education and US$17 per person annually on debt repayment, while 1 in every 5 Ugandan children die of preventable diseases before reaching the age of 5 years.” Also in Zambia 72,000 people lost their jobs in a Structural Adjustment Program induced retrenchment. The SAP’s, created to contain the debt crises in the Sub-Sahara African countries, introduced a strict anti-inflationary monetary policy, privatization of public enterprises, dismantling of foreign exchange controls and more flexible labor markets (“Fact Sheet on Debt Africa”).
In light of the above statistics, it is sensible to conclude that Africa is indeed a struggling geographical location with a crumbling economy. I totally agree with above statistics; I believe that each organization conducted extensive researches on the subject before making such information available. However, I believe that these above issues reveal just one side of the subject, and that most people are deprived of the whole truth. So many people make generalized statements about Africa without realizing their inaccuracy. First and foremost, Africa is not a nation as most people like to say; it is a continent with about 57 countries and nations.
Africa is a vast land form with different regions: North, East, South and West Africa. Each region is as different as anyone could imagine. The South and the East is the Savanna region with its Sahara plains and exotic animal that most people associate with Africa. The Northern part of Africa includes countries like Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia, and Western Sahara, with light skinned and Arabic Africans. The Western part is made up of tropical and rain forest countries. The tropics and rain forests do not have many animals; however, they have diverse and exotic cultures and traditions. Therefore it is misrepresentation to lump Africa as a whole; Africans do not have the same history, culture, language, ethnic origin and same governance.
It is also not fair when one part of Africa is presented as the totality of the continent. As a Nigerian born citizen, I have seen this happen, first hand, on many occasions. In my previous university, I was involved in AIESEC, an international platform for young people to develop and discover their potentials. And one of the ways AIESEC does its mandate is through global internship exchange. And so, it's common that every time an intern gets to Nigeria, they always exclaim on how different the country is from what they had envisioned. They had prepped themselves for a society of rural development and a fraudulent society, since Lagos is always projected as a place for thievery and butchery. Instead when they step into Lagos, they are met with amazing people, highly industrialized cities, and no wild animals. My point is when external organizations and individuals talk about Africa, it would help everyone if they state what part is actually affected and in dire need of help.
The “Fact Sheet on Debt Africa,” states that Africa has $200 billion in debt. However, some nations in Africa are actually very prosperous. For example, as of 1999, my own country of Nigeria had over $107 billion of its private wealth in foreign economies. In UK, two million Nigerians are worth £94 billion: £84 billion in real estate, £7 in vehicles, £3 billion in stocks and shares (Malgwi). Presently, it is estimated that Nigeria has over $400 billion in foreign economy. And these are money transported illegally outside the countries by corrupt leaders that the country has had for over 40 years. Also, “Nigeria is the 50th-largest export market for U.S. goods and the 14th-largest exporter of goods to the United States. The United States is Nigeria's largest trading partner after the United Kingdom” (Bureau of African Affairs). So hypothetically, Nigeria alone is able to fix Africa, and it is not the only buoyant country, Countries like South Africa, Egypt, Algeria, Libya etc. which all together collate over $2000 billion in gross domestic product can effectively take care of each other ("World's Richest Countries."). I have always been and would always say that Africa is rich enough to help itself and develop itself, but our growths are stunted by the outside world; the Western world in particular. Rich African countries should be recognized so that they can stop hiding under the generalization of Africa as being poor, and stop looting money away to foreign economy; rather they should invest such money in economies of less privileged African countries.
This is a point that Dambisa Moyo, a Wall Street Journalist, agrees with; in his article “Why Foreign Aid is Hurting Africa,” he states that “aid to Africa has made the poor poorer, and the growth slower. The insidious aid culture has left African countries more debt-laden, more inflation-prone, more vulnerable to the vagaries of the currency markets and more unattractive to higher-quality investment.” He also states that “A constant stream of "free" money is a perfect way to keep an inefficient or simply bad government in power, for as aid flows in there is nothing more for the government to do.” The government then does not need to raise taxes. And as long as it pays the army, it does not have to take account of its disgruntled citizens. (Dambisa).
Africa is not a poor nation; however, it is a continent with some poor countries. I understand the need to help those in need and also greatly appreciate charities and organizations that are dedicated to helping the poor African nations. But I propose that this assistance be done in a new way: first a clear demarcation must be made to effectively show which countries are in need of help, encouraging various African leaders to step up to the plate and take ownership of their own issues; also the western media needs to change their reporting tactics and stop showcasing only the bad side of Africa. Then people can see exactly what we are: a continent like any other, with its ups and downs. Then, people are able to make holistic conclusions about the continent.
Works Cited
Bureau of African Affairs. "Nigeria." U.S. Department of State. U.S. Department of State, 03 Feb. 2011. Web. 28 Feb. 2011. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2836.htm.
Dambisa, Moyo. "Why Foreign Aid Is Hurting Africa - WSJ.com." Wsj.com. The Wall Street Journal, 21 Mar. 2009. Web. 25 Feb. 2011. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123758895999200083.html.
"Fact Sheet on Debt Africa." Financing for Development - Investing in Women. K.U.L.U. -Women and Development. Web. 24 Feb. 2011. http://www.kulu.dk/Financing/Regional%20Fact%20Sheets/fact_sheet_on_debt_africa.htm.
FAO. "FAO: Hunger." FAO. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United States, 2011. Web. 24 Feb. 2011. <http://www.fao.org/hunger/hunger_graphics/en/>.
Malgwi, Charles A. "Fraud as Economic Terrorism: The Efficacy of the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crime Commission." Journal of Financial Crime 21st ser. 12.2 (2005): 144. Deepdyve.com. DeepDyve,Inc. Web. 24 Feb. 2011. <http://www.deepdyve.com/lp/emerald/fraud-as-economic-terrorism-the-efficacy-of-the-nigerian-economic-and-x0lwysa7SQ?key=emerald>.
"World's Richest Countries." World's Richest Countries. Web. 28 Feb. 2011. http://www.worldsrichestcountries.com/
That Africa is not a 'nation', Murewa, should have been made clear at the first paragraph. Any impatient/undiscerning reader could take that gaffe and tether on the edge of the same precipice of stereotyping that the 'Hollywood people' are guilty of.
ReplyDeleteThat, notwithstanding, you did make very valid points about how Aid kills Africa. And what you do not realize, or may be naive about is this: The Aid idea is a preconceived move in order to keep Africa enslaved in the age of post-colonization. You can call it, neo-colonialism. Because, as always, the borrower will always be servant to the lender. New age slavery.
On an aside, did you know that France lives on the Francophone countries? There was an agreement between those nations and France that remits all their foreign reserves to France and makes only a third of it available to them in Loans?
Give that a thought.
Jibola, I agree that conventionally, I should have made the fact that Africa is not a nation clear at the beginning of the second paragraph. But I wrote the paper the way I did for many reasons. The most important being that I wanted to showcase the problem before poking a hole into the theory and showcasing how false it was. My approach was a careful and well thought one.
ReplyDeleteAs for the big-brother stance, I know all about it but cannot write it in this paper because I had written a similar but more specific paper. I didn't want to then have to defend my own plagiarism because I needed to explain the neo-colonialism in an in-depth manner in my other paper. However, I find it crazy that Americans is more guilty of the above charges unlike the British considering the fact that they were once colonized themselves.
As for francophone countries, well it's the whole assimilation versus imperialism. The present lives on the past. It is sad about the vast differences between both but what can we do about it? Nothing.