| dc.description.abstract | Africa is a hugely endowed continent in terms of natural resources. It always has been. The statistical
back-up for this assertion is astounding. The continent is home to 40% of the world’s potential
hydroelectric power supply. It harbours the bulk of the world’s diamonds and chromium. 50% of the world’s
gold, phosphates and palm oil are to be found in its rocks and soil. Add to these, 90% of the world’s cobalt,
64% of the world’s manganese, 70% of the world’s cocoa, 60% of the world’s coffee and huge amounts of
petroleum, natural gas, and diversities of wildlife and the whole story begins to sound as a fairy tale. Yet
fairy tale it is not. Africa is rich. But that is where the story ends. The cruel reality is that as rich as it
potentially is, Africa is also the poorest human habitat on the planet.
Throughout millennia, it has been described in not so flattering terms as the “dark” or “hopeless” continent.
Many years after it extricated itself from the clutches of slave trade and colonialism, majority of its peoples
continue to be ravaged by poverty, hunger, disease and other forms of squalor. Genocidal conflicts have
led to the massive dislocation of civilian populations. With the exception of a few, most economies in Africa
have stagnated, while others have completely collapsed. Historians and other commentators have offered
many explanations for the sorry state that continues to characterize this part of the planet. It is beyond the
scope of this essay to revisit this African story. | en_US |
