Why is Africa so poor?

[Anonymous]

That is a huge continent with rich resources but people are so poor and they have nothing.

If imperialist governments did not steal from them in the past, would they be rich, or same again?

[Soteris]

That is a very good question, especially since the first large Empires started in Africa such as Egypt with their massive pyramids or the fact that the richest man ever to live was in Africa so what actually happened? If you picked earlier parts in history Africa was in a far stronger position but it has always been fundamentally different.

Africa has a massive issue with its geography, mainly in that most of it is either hostile or unsuitable for human development. Take the large deserts as an example, hardly a good place to establish a settlement and it also cuts off trade. This is not the only outright hostile climate though since the dense rain forests is equally impossible to establish a large community in.

That means around half of Africa just can't naturally support a large civilization without technology and development you can only get after having said civilization. What about the rest of Africa? While it can support some development its still hostile towards it. If you for example build a house and a farm in one area there is no guarantee the land will be fertile the next year so you will have to move.

This is why most of Africa is nomadic by necessity. They simply can't afford to stay in one place for long enough and building a civilization relies on just that.

So what about Egypt and the richest man in history? For every rule there is an exception. If you actually manage to establish yourself the continent has vast resources for you to use but that requires stability. The worst part that imperialism did to Africa was to break this stability.

When the Europeans started to mess around in Africa there was countless kingdoms and established civilizations around. By the end all were pretty much gone and Africa has never really recovered from losing that.

[BeMuse]

If they were left to their own devices they’d be far more regressed technologically and their populations would be much smaller due to disease, famine, and war. Trading resources away that you didn’t have any use for doesn't really hurt your progress. Even though they might of got a bad market price on particular resources they still got new tech and resources they needed in exchange so that brought them forward on the human timeline. They just didn’t progress at the same rate as more advanced civilizations so they look like losers at the end of the day. The fact of the matter is that they have been spared and given mercy with constant charity by countries that could have obliterated them in war, but choose to be charitable instead with food aid, medicine, sustainable technology grants, etc. because of unifying moral principles that helps more advanced civilizations work together.

[hpereira]

Not all the countries in Africa are poor. There is a rich and a poor side to every country. It all depends on how the media portrays it

[scarlett774]

Actually a lot of African countries are very rich and provide lots of resources to other countries. There not all poor only some.

[0oGreyo0]

War
The Dutch
The French
The uk
Soon the Chinese
Nobody really working together.
Ghana is pretty good. Uganda is cool.
And Nigeria is another place I would wanna visit.

To be honest they should be the richest. All the material come from their. Half the stuff to make phones come from there.
They should be leading rhe world in solar energy. And renwnable energy in general.

[0oGreyo0]

Also you have dictator and Millionaire Africans taking advantage

[_SOARER]

They had a 60,000 year head start according to anthropologists. They should have conquered the whole world before anyone else even learned how to sow seeds.
Lack of organization skills, lack of morality, lack of restraint, lack of vision etc.

[jamesgoldman]

No... corruption would still be a thing
If the past had been different everything would be vastly more expensive so the world world would be equally poor

[OddBeMe]

It’s surrounded by powerful countries that have ravaged the continent for its resources. But like the Middle East, it’s insanely religious.

[888theGreat]

Because all their leaders are dictators and they sell all their natural resources for a song.

[KrakenAttackin]

Because there average IQ is in the mid 60's, which is not conducive to development.

[Anonymous]

Only some Africans countries are poor not all of them.

Try and Google Search "Rich African countries."

[Anonymous]

most don't have any resources, nothing of any value to offer in the global economy.

[Anonymous]

Do you live in Africa? Did you live in all African countries? How do you know they are poor?

[Asker]

Most of them are poor. Do you have a proof that they are rich?

[Opinion Owner]

Bruh I was born and raised in an African country. When we later relocated I realized most people here are dumb and think Africa is some sorttta shit hole country. Y’all should get educated or better yet take a trip before assuming OMG.

[Asker]

So aren't you aware that Western countries fucked and exploited and always stole from you. When you say still primitive and too poor lands, people think of Africa. You can't deny this fact. Also i didn't say that there is no rich territories in Africa, i already know dozens of cities there

[hknmhmn4]

I don’t think all Africa is pooor