can someone help me with this?

Question

this is for UN week -- Africa is to be supposedly one of the richest nations in natural resources yet there is so much famine in the continent - why do you think so?

Answer 1

War. It prevents farmers from tending their fields, and prevents relief effort from reaching those in need.

There is also another factor: the result of colonialism that imposed crops that were economically valuable for exportation, but of no value for feeding local population. Once everyone started growing rubber tree for instance, there was that much ground not available for growing food, and then someone started growing hevea trees somewhere else, and then Africa's production was challenged to lower its prices, just compounding the problem.
Just look at South Africa: it has one of the richest concentration of gold and diamonds in the world, but until recently, until the shameful apartheid system was overthrown, the wealth was shared only among a tiny minority, who owned all the land and kept all the money.

Answer 2

I think it is because most of the companies that deal in oil, diamonds, gold, etc. are run by foreign corporations. The African nations should nationalize all the resource-sucking industries, throwing the foreign capitalists out (or into prison if their greed can be shown to be criminal), and build up their own economies rather than subsidizing the mostly Western country club circuit.
Shareholders will tear their hair out but perhaps some justice might finally be served upon a continent ravaged by greed. Remember, while our soldiers were dying in Vietnam in the name of "freedom" we had no problem dealing with the racist governments of South Africa and the former Rhodesia because there was MONEY to be made.
This is not to excuse the behavior of many African governments and tribal leaders who screw their own people. That must be addressed as well, but it the west in the form of Europe and the USA who have done the most harm to Mother Africa.

Answer 3

Political Corruption, and there are some ugly western legacy continuing in the area.

Africa could have been a rich continent if there was no European Imperialism at all.

Answer 4

Corruption + wars + national debt = total lack of infrastructure. In order for for economic growth to take place in the third world two things are needed;

1) Western co-operation (and I don't mean a pop concert to raise money here, I mean governments writing off debts and giving their total commitment to it at any cost, even if the cost is neglecting home office issues)

2) African co-operation. IE: Africa must rid it's self entirely of corruption and only have leaders who's only concern is there peoples welfare, ending civil wars and distributing wealth with socialist fairness (even if they switch to capitalism later, fair distribution is the only was to get to an even starting point.)

Looks fairly hopeless doesn't it? Trade is happening but it is only lining corrupt politicians pockets and funding wars.

Answer 5

Africa is not a nation; it's a continent of many nations with a wide range of economies!

Answer 6

Hey Bobster- I would say lack of education, political corruption, shortage of entrepreneurship, tribal tensions, poor farming techniques etc. You are correct that countries can turn around, without being racist note the success of white people in South Africa, it just goes to show that there is no reason why Africans should not prosper.

Answer 7

War between states. Rebellion within countries. Poverty caused by or after effect of colonialism. Lack of education. Not enough food supply. Lack of infrastructures. Political and government corruption...Lack of support from rich countries
and other organization causing underdevelopment of potential
resources.

Answer 8

its bec Africa lacks the technology to utilize those natural resources.. and to develop these technologies the people must unite into a common goal.. unfortunately africans nations are often besieged by political upheavals

Answer 9

one reason might be that there is some oil and diamonds in Africa

Answer 10

british empowerment over government office,, they take what they want and give what measly bit is left to the starving people,,,