The Causes of poverty in Africa

Africa is synonymous to misery, disease, hunger and all the blight of this world.
However this continent is full of wealth, it is therefore a paradox that Africa with
such a potential end up being that poor. What are the causes of poverty in Africa?

People only notice that Africa is miserable. Even Africans do not understand why
they are suffering that much while history is showing facts that cause and continue
to be the reason of such a misery. Some will say that slavery, colonialism and neo-
colonialism just to talk about that are the historical consequences justifying such a
poverty but for myself, Africa owe it’s nowadays misery to some of his son’s that
unfortunately represent the elite of this poor continent.

We only know that slavery emptied Africa with millions of braves and strong people
for more than three centuries to work as slave overseas in order to develop
economically some occidental countries. The side effect of this cruel historical
event was to deprive Africa of labour that could have occupied efficiently
according to the resources the lands allowing therefore an economical, political
and social development of this continent. Fortunately, it ends. But what is
regrettable is that the abolishment of slavery opens the door to another prison for
Africans which was colonialism.

With the idea that all African civilisations were lacking of modern development
principle, Europe find as mission to colonise Africa at first religiously, then
economically and finally politically. There were many positive effects to this
intrusion of occidental societies in Africa such as industrial development, medical
skills, and education. But the negative effect of this management of Africa by
Europeans was to mislead Africans to better exploit them by setting up their
education so that they can be later on servants and consumers in a system where
only colons will have been the masters and the providers. However, the troubles of
that time (world wars) lead Africans toward their independence which should have
been the right time view Africans resources to definitely eradicate poverty but
nothing has changed economically until now. And the true reason is the behaviour
of African leaders after the colonialism.

At the end of colonisation, most European’s countries were still linked to their old
colony to guarantee their development. Indeed, Europe was still in need of
resources for their development and by loosing their authority in the black
continent, Europeans had to deal with Africa differently. Neo-colonialism refers to
the way the exploitation and the business contracts were negotiated and signed
with the old colons. This term would have been a positive term if the contracts
were sign to the benefit of both Africa and Europe but it wasn’t the case because
neo-colonialism reflect a bad word that characterizes Africans like servants and the
old colons like providers even when Africa has the advantage.

To make everything dark in this context, Africa leaders are the one to blame for
making neo-colonialism a bad word in Africa. Indeed, leaders in the black continent
are too corrupted, lacking of enough integrity and strength to negotiate contracts
to the benefit of their own people. I am part of persons that think that Africa
leaders failed in managing this continent and for myself, it is the direct cause of
Africa nowadays poverty.

Africa is suffering of mismanagement of land, misused of money, lack of human

resource, disease, and conflict that are created and encouraged by some selfish
leaders unable to cope with the strategic advantages of their own countries to
allow great development and wealth. The causes of poverty in Africa are based on
the values of Africans leader, values that are selfishness and lack of patriotism put
at the first line to rule countries with intellectually oppressed people that deserve
better than.