Why are african nations poor?

Question

We all know that they owe western counties a substantual amount of debt, and that many african leaders are dictators, but why are they poor in the first place?

Answer 1

Probably because white westerners abused the indigenous populations for decades.

Answer 2

There a so many different tribes in Africa, they are always fighting , along comes a dictator the powerforce of the area, gets millions in aid from the west . Puts said millions in a Swiss bank account, lives like a king, the people live in fear. He disappears to some place to enjoy his millions, untill the next strongman comes along, then start above all over again. Poor Africa has my sympathies, but it,s a never ending story. They have lost the will to have any interest in becoming a normal peacefull country.

Answer 3

not all African countries are detrimental. The media in basic terms likes to coach the few that are detrimental. i'm an African, i'm from the country of Zambia, that's located in Southern Africa (to not be at a loss for words with the country South Africa). The international places in Africa that are somewhat detrimental, are present day in eastern, Western, and a sprint in critical Africa. international places like Sudan, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. listed under are particularly some the richest countries in Africa: Equatorial Guinea, South Africa, Angola, Egypt, and Morocco, just to call some. So please do a sprint greater examine, don't think each thing the media or previous stereotypes say approximately African countries.

Answer 4

Because the European nations who colonised Africa were forced to pull out and leave the Africans to fend for themselves. It wasn't fair, but when we, the French, Portuguese, Germans and Spanish left Africa, we gave the African nations what we could, sadly, they went independent too early, and landed themselves in debt, the only nations that did it sucessfully are the United States, Austrailia, New Zealand, Canada, India and Pakistan including South America and Mexico. You have to understand that when the Europeans let Africa, they left the continent in a good way, we even left it with each nation having democratic eletions, however, somehow, the African Warlords overthrew the countries in violent military juntas, disposing of the democratically elected oficials and puttig themselves in power, spending all the tresuary in fightig wars amongst their own people, thus putting themselves in debt, and being so unbelieveably poor that they are unable to replay the debt to the nations they owe.

Answer 5

Because the dutch invaded and took over the nations resources and pushed the Africans into the wilderness and drought filled areas and the rampant poverty created the struggles and the wars and genocide. You will not find one dutch family living in a dirt patch of land under a tin roof. The successful Africans had to use the hook or by crook method to get where they are. Apartheid isn't too long ago abolished and there was lots of damage done. That country wasn't "poor" before it was ravished by the incessant greed of the dutch/europeans that overwhelmed it.

Answer 6

Two main reasons.
1. They were given their independence when they weren't really ready for it.
2. There is still too much corruption, so that foreign aid doesn't get to the right places.

Another thing in some of the countries is factional (tribal) conflict which prevents them from working together to improve everybody's lot.

Answer 7

Egypt isn't poor, it's in Africa.

Why are most of the African countries poor?
Because rather than build up the countries they were/are exploiting, the countries like the US, most of Europe and the Middle East, sent the wealth back home.

By keeping "third world" countries poor and undereducated it allows for further exploitation.

Answer 8

If you asked the question 200 yrs ago we might have clues. Otherwise we can blame it on economic policies, corruption and what you define poor to be.

Answer 9

I believe that in some African states the aid received from the west actually props up weak governments and removes the power of the people to reward effective government. The result is gov. jobs for cronies and rife corruption.

A government that raises taxes from its own people is the only way to invest and develop.

Answer 10

their kings waste money on living it up & buying flash cars and planes instead of helping out the poor people...a bit like what happens here.