Introduction

Africa is entrenched in civil, internal and external struggle, which makes it increasingly difficult for the world economy to assist it. With political unrest, African countries face community and global difficulties that hinder development prospects. Significant factors have influenced Africa’s development and have inevitably made it extremely difficult to pursue a solution–improvements have yet to be implemented in Africa. Economic, social and political hardships have endangered independent nation-states in Africa. To fully understand the effect of these factors, Africans must investigate the constraints Africans face. Consequently, Africa cannot develop unless these conflicts are eradicated.

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One of the most critical factors that affect Africa globally is internal and external social influences. Africa’s economic structure has undergone rapid changes since independence, resulting in societal interactions governed by localities rather than governments. Chief feudal systems direct power and influence, which, after colonization, pressured chiefs to develop different social systems to integrate new democratic reforms. With many conflicting ideologies, societal pressures grew beyond independence. As a result of these alien democratic reforms, chief feudal systems were negatively affected, leading to massive human rights violations, inequality and injustices. Africa’s most significant social disturbance was the Rwanda genocide. This genocide epitomized the level of indecency towards Africans by militant groups that run rampant on the continent. This episode in Africa’s history marked the deaths of five hundred thousand Tutsis and Hutus. These human rights violations are poignant throughout the continent and have become difficult for the continent’s development. These internal conflicts have resulted in unstable cooperation with government officials and hindered development progress. In 2002, the New York Times reported that “rebels and bandits roam freely through vast swaths of the country making roads impassable.” Transportation is one of the most fundamental components of a developing continent or country; if the roads are impassable due to rebellion and civil unrest, economic and industrial growth will not be sustainable. For example, the conflict in Darfur has torn Sudan internally through conflicts in which conflicting ideologies translate into the deaths of 350,000 people. These conflicts induce self-destructive behaviour that plagues any sustainable effort to launch development programs. Beyond human rights violations, Africa’s social systems are marred by disease and rampant poverty. It was estimated that 24.5 million people were diagnosed and treated for HIV near the end of 2005. Almost 2.7 million additional people were diagnosed with HIV that same year. HIV/AIDS is a social influence that negates any developmental strategy. In 2002, The New York Times reported that “The World Food Program struggles to feed nearly a million people, and every day, about 500 children die from malnutrition, disease and exploding land mines.” Civil strife, such as malnutrition, suspends the continent into repeated chaos cycles.

Sanitation in Africa

Furthermore, sanitation doubles extreme poverty in Africa. In 1992, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development stressed that: “Too often, Africa has been associated only with pictures of civil unrest, starvation, deadly diseases and economic disorder, and that has given many investors a negative picture of Africa as a whole.” Essentially, UNCTAD asserted that societal unrest in Africa is achieving global attention, preventing investors from taking particular action to produce long-term economic development strategies on the continent. Rather than the damage caused by colonization, the media alienates social and civil unrest like disease (malaria, HIV, AIDS). In 2002, Times magazine reported, “The poor die in hospital wards that lack drugs, in villages that lack antimalarial bed nets, in houses that lack safe drinking water.” They die namelessly, without public comment. Sadly, such stories rarely get written.” With a more public emphasis on these basic needs, such as drinking water, beds, and drugs, the media could effectively allocate information towards these goals; however, that is not the case since drug corporations are strained in their supply as well as foreign aid. This directly affects Africa’s development belief. The continent is plagued with severe social issues that prevent any developmental strategy because of human rights violations, inequality, exploitation, famine, and disease. Social governance systems are also a significant factor facing the belief in potential economic stability. Africa must deal with the heart of these issues to develop because human systems and behaviours are the platforms a country can fully develop.

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Beyond social unrest issues plaguing the continent, economic factors have doubled the complexity of restructuring Africa’s global influence in the world market. With economic instability, allocating Africa’s resources toward a systemic capital-producing industry is challenging for investors. As noted earlier, investors are warded off by images of social unrest that pressure Africa’s relationship with the global economy. Rostow noted, “[A factor] which makes business reluctant to invest in Africa is political instability.” Through political stability, states Rostow, the economic system follows jointly according to those principles that govern systemic behaviour. Political stability is critical for a developing country to thrive from many potential economic strategies. Mbiti asserted, “Most African countries still lack the necessary physical infrastructure and the education and training in skills needed for rapid economic and social development.” Africa does not have the necessary tools to build infrastructure, the purpose of which would be to emphasize economic progress. Since these basic institutional needs are lacking in the continent, the devastating effect can be seen through chaotic disorder, which makes investors highly reluctant to invest in a future for Africa. In 1999, the Economic Report on Africa stated that “most of the countries of the continent lack the fundamentals for sustained future growth.” Similarly, Nyerere’s speech in 1998 critiqued Africa, stating that “[due to] the corruptive and disruptive nature of poverty itself, foreign investors would not be coming rushing to Africa.” It is with this similar resolve that Africa’s economic sustainability may not be met due to social and political unrest.

Consequently, due to the high volume of people living with HIV/AIDS, economic conditions heath-wise are challenging for investors. When challenged by disease, famine, and agricultural setbacks, investors with international influence have limited capabilities. Investors are pressured by the continent’s lack of certain productive value since major agricultural and productive systems are met with civil chaos and rampant diseases. Common sense would be that an organization would fear economic prospects in a war-torn continent. Investors cannot effectively create an economic strategy based on present African conditions. To effectively maintain an economic system in Africa, economic strategies such as production, distribution and consumption must be met to facilitate growing influence in the global market. Beyond the issue of investors, uncertainty arises in Africa’s untapped economic wealth. Due to historical influences, Africa’s mineral reserves are constantly undergoing disputes. For example, Congo is a country marred by conflict despite being intensely wealthy due to mineral resources.

Imperialism in Africa

With further colonial imperialism straining the continent’s resources, Africa’s long historical struggle for independence was not fully reached since its resources were being allocated to other countries. Africa has an enormous supply of petroleum resources, especially in the southern countries. A colonial dispute exists even today and devastatingly pressures tribal systems. Africa’s manufactured goods and services are exported to other countries to facilitate their economy rather than develop Africa’s economy. The common need for international banks is evident in that local banks became corrupt and began to finance particular interests rather than saving. This inadvertently destabilized the influence of local powers (chief feudal systems) towards a robust governmental system. Another economic barrier in the continent of Africa is debt. Of the 40 countries on the World Bank’s list of “Heavily Indebted Poor Countries,” 33 originate from Africa. Africa is engraved in massive amounts of debt due to the misuse of money by corrupt governments. For example, in 2001, Reuters reported that “Nigeria, one of the world’s poorest countries, is to launch its own space program in the form of an agency that will develop rocket and satellite technology.” The contradiction is inherently simple in that while Nigeria is one of the poorest countries in the world, listed as one of the top indebted countries by the World Bank’s HIPC, money that should be allocated towards developmental strategies is compulsively mismanaged.

Debt in Africa

Today, the money that Africa uses to relieve debt is not directly paid towards the debt left by corrupt governments; rather, the money is being transferred to relieve interest which has slowly begun to double the continent’s debt. Between 1980 and 1990, Africa’s debt grew faster than any other region in the Third World. By 1990, 27 African countries were classified as heavily indebted, meaning that three of four key ratios were above critical levels: debt to GDP was above the critical level of 30-50 percent. In 1978-83, Africa’s debt ratio (outstanding debt over export earnings) doubled to over 200 percent. For some individual countries, the debt ratios at the end of 1985 skyrocketed. Therefore, in order for Africa to develop a developmental strategy, the continent must: 1) intrigue investors by enhancing media image, 2) deliver promising results by increasing education and basic institutional foundations that reinforce systemic behaviour so that investors can predict and sustain their business, 3) develop strategies so Africa can use its resources to further its economy rather than undergoing ongoing disputes, and 4) either relinquish debt by debt relief strategies or develop a comprehensive program to manage funds in order to make payment strategies properly. Until these economic barriers are confronted and nullified, Africa will remain a Third World continent.

P‍olitical Instability

Beyond the social and economic factors that hinder Africa’s potential to become a global player is the most powerful disturbance on the continent—political instability. Tribal systems marked the post-colonial period in Africa, and confronting integration into new democratic reforms presented significant challenges. Patekile Holomisa, a chief and head of the Congress of Traditional Leaders in South Africa, states that “Africans want change because they suffer here. But Africans are above all else devoted to their ancestors, and they do not want to betray them by becoming something theyare not.” Due to this devotion, political systems become very difficult to decipher as they are rooted in tradition and customary ritual practice. During independence, the continent was anxious to find a stable system to govern itself. Ayittey, a world-renowned economist, stated, “Socialism, however, was by far the most predominant ideology adopted by African nationalist leaders.” The hegemonic role in economic development envisaged for Africa was driven by Socialism since many African nationalist leaders were suspicious of Capitalism.

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Nonetheless, a wave of Socialism swept across the continent as almost all new African leaders succumbed to the contagious ideology. Nkrumah of Ghana, widely regarded as the “father of African Socialism,” stated, “Capitalism is too complicated for a newly independent state; hence, the need for a socialist society.” The result was that no aspect of this economic ideology aligned with Africa’s indigenous economic heritage. Following Socialism, an ideological doctrine called Statism relies on government action towards the economy and social affairs. Tanzania’s Julius Nyerere stated clearly that it was the state’s role to intervene actively in the economy; however, the ultimate responsibility for adopting Statism rested with African leaders. Providing convenient explanations for misguided economic policies only compounded Africa’s economic woes. These ideologies created a corrosive element to the well-being of Africa’s political instability—corruption. In 1990, Chief Olu Falae, secretary of the federal government of Nigeria, announced after a debt verification exercise that “over 30 billion naira (or $4.5 billion) of Nigeria’s external debt was discovered to be ‘fraudulent and spurious’.” In 1999, the EU announced that it had suspended aid to Ivory Coast after discovering that about $30 million donated for health programs had been misused. Julius Nyerere, former Tanzanian president, stated that “[corruption] is a cancer in Africa.”

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Furthermore, the BBC reported that “Corruption in Africa costs the continent nearly $150bn a year, according to an updated report.” Corruption has severely indebted the continent to dreadful ends with no anticipation of devastating results. African leaders have mangled generations with insurmountable debt through major political instabilities such as failed government strategies. To sustain a complete developmental strategy, Africa must maintain a government system emphasizing democratic reforms rather than personal interests, which would lead to corrosive behaviour such as corruption and mass debt.

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Conclusion

For Africa to become a sustainable environment for investors to invest in, it must achieve economic and internal stability. US Ambassador Thomas R. Pickering declared at the United Nations, “Reforms to improve governance are essential, both for sustainable economic growth and political stability.” Through political stability, institutions of systemic behaviour reproduction, such as churches, schools, and centers of achievements and learning, would develop and reinforce an economically stable and ready atmosphere for banks, industrial complexes, and the business franchise to flourish. However, today, much like in the previous decade, Africa is not ready for development—it lacks the necessary foundations for development to take place. Africa is marred by social unrest through rampant disease, human rights violations, inequality, and exploitation.

‍Furthermore, Africa’s chances for global economic representation face heavy debt, mineral disputes, resource conflicts, and franchise sustainability issues. In addition, political factors such as gross misconduct in spending and aid leading to perpetual corruption destroy any chance of Africa’s development. Due to these poignant barriers, Africa is unable to develop.