Introduction
While Africa has seen positive growth rates, relatively few nations have attained and sustained the growth rates required in order to alleviate poverty. African countries continue to face the significant issue of increasing Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rates and maintaining high growth rates for a sustained period of time (Jayne et al., 2018). Pursuing economic development in Africa aims to improve infrastructure, establish robust public institutions, decrease poverty, establish new technologies, generate more job opportunities, eradicate conflicts, and develop and execute climate change adaption methods. Some of the biggest challenges confronting African nations are poverty, poor regional security, persistent wars, rapid population growth, gender inequality, and adverse climatic change.
Economic Growth and Development Challenges in African Countries
Most African nations are impoverished, particularly those in Sub-Saharan Africa. Approximately two-thirds of Africa’s population dwells in rural regions, with agriculture being their primary source of income (Dunn and Englebert, 2019). The impoverished struggle to make a living with few alternatives other than what nature can provide. The Central African Republic (CAR) is one of the several African nations faced with intense poverty. Admittedly, civilians are frequently the victims of violence perpetrated by the government’s security forces, rebel organizations, and armed bandits. Bandits travel freely and originate from all around the country, including Chad, Cameroon, Sudan, Niger, Uganda, and Nigeria.
The CAR state has regularly failed to protect the country from revolt and coup. It has also failed to defend citizens’ safety and well-being. Bozizé (President of the Central African Republic from 2003 to 2013) is criticized for establishing a culture of lawlessness in the country. (Bøås and Dunn 2013). Although he may have formally pledged to build an inclusive administration, reform security sector organizations, and preserve human rights, his practices indicate that he had no intention of carrying out these changes (Bøås and Dunn 2013). On the contrary, Bozizé’s actions reinforced and deteriorated the security sector, low democracy, and human rights standards. Bozizé ascended to power in a brutal coup. He only backed a few legal reforms that benefited him, including amnesty legislation to shield his troops from human rights trials. His administration was also characterized by extensive corruption and nepotism. Since the beginning of his second term, Bozizé’s family had been assigned to key posts within the state machinery.
Most African countries have suffered from extreme violence and insecurity over the past years. For instance, Nigeria’s continuing conflict with insurgency groups like Boko Haram and pervasive government corruption jeopardize the country’s political integrity and security. Since 2011, Boko Haram, one of the region’s major Islamist militant organizations—has carried out terrorist attacks against political and religious, local cops, and the army, as well as randomly assaulting people in crowded marketplaces and communities (Adesoji and Alimi, 2020). Although the fighting has largely been restricted in the Muslim north, notably in Borno state, it has affected millions. The Nigerian Army declared in June 2018 that it would return 2,000 internally displaced families (Adesoji and Alimi, 2020). Notably, Security personnel battling insurgents have been accused of grave human rights violations. Apart from the military battle, Nigeria’s security is jeopardized by the continued unequal distribution of oil revenues, widespread corruption, and unrest in the Middle Belt area.
Other countries such as Mali have also seen an upsurge in violence and insecurity over the past year. Mali has been battling peace and security following the outbreak of an armed insurgency in northern Mali in early January 2012 (Bøås and Dunn 2013). The crisis began with the Tuaregs uprising against the government of Mali. This was the fourth in a string of uprisings dating all the way back to 1963 (Bøås and Dunn 2013). The 2012 uprising escalated into a brutal extremist insurgency when a series of violent extremist organizations combined and seized control of numerous cities and territories in northern Mali. The conflict has now expanded to the country’s center, a region of socioeconomic diversification where pastoral nomad groups, agricultural communities, fishers, and traders coexist alongside a diverse ethnic community. The apparent absence of reliable mediators in central Mali – primarily the government and customary authority – who would ordinarily be capable of decreasing disputes before they become violent has resulted in a cycle of conflict. This is exacerbated by the development and replication of armed organizations, which is partly facilitated by the prevalence of illicit arms trafficking across weak borders in the broader area.
In addition to the frequent outbreaks of conflict and instability among African states, the rapid increase in the continent’s population poses a threat to economic development. Compared to Asia and Latin America, Africa’s population might double in fewer than 30 years due to a population growth rate of 2.5 percent. (Cleland and Machiyama, 2017). Africa’s ecology has been put under a lot of strain due to this fast population expansion. High rates of population increase are typically linked to food insecurity, land tenure, environmental deterioration, and a shortage of water supplies. In most of the regions’ poorest places, the increased population has led to a significant and accelerated deterioration of the resources these communities rely on.
It is critical to highlight that rapid population growth combined with widespread rural-urban movement has resulted in remarkable urban population growth, often double the national average. As a result, few administrations are equipped to deal with the massive growth in demand for urban water and sewerage services. Environmental issues that arise pose grave health risks to increasing individuals. Such conditions have the potential to expedite the breakdown of current metropolitan infrastructure and produce an environment susceptible to natural health crises and epidemics.
More precisely, gender bias is impeding Africa’s advancement toward poverty eradication. Not only is gender disparity a severe social and moral issue, but it is also a significant economic problem: While women account for over half of Africa’s population, they account for only 39 percent of the continent’s GDP (Dunn and Englebert, 2019). Even though significant progress has been made in the previous 15 years, many impressive issues remain, particularly in gender parity in school enrollment, reducing maternal mortality, and increasing women’s involvement in decision-making. They are disproportionately targets of domestic violence, with an average prevalence of around 37 percent on the continent. (Dunn and Englebert, 2019). Numerous researches have attempted to estimate the costs of violence against women, focusing primarily on the financial losses resulting from the absence of productivity. The cost of violence towards women is projected to be approximately 1-2 percent of gross domestic product (Dunn and Englebert, 2019). Domestic violence has a negative impact on the performance and health of women. In other words, gender-based violence has a profound impact on economic growth, with the potential to reverberate beyond generations.
Ultimately Africa bears the burden of climate change more than any other continent. The estimates include a decline in rains in already-arid parts of Southern and Eastern, as well as an increase in drought and famine in the north and central Africa. Burkina Faso, Benin, Ghana, Niger, Mauritania, and Nigeria are expected to endure water shortages by 2025 in West Africa. Africa’s anti-climate initiatives must be stepped up as a legacy for subsequent generations. However, Africa’s serious developmental problems, such as malaria, HIV/AIDS, and low agricultural productivity prevent many African governments from making this a major priority (Dunn and Englebert, 2019). According to the IPCC’s 2007 study, Sub-Saharan Africa should expect significant impacts from global warming, including cyclones, floods caused by heavy rainfall, extended droughts, and loss of vital agricultural and fish species (Dunn and Englebert, 2019). Climate fluctuation is anticipated to substantially impair agricultural productivity, particularly availability to food, in many African countries.
Conclusion
Overall, economic growth and development in African countries continue to be hindered by significant issues. The recurrent conflicts, weak regional security, gender inequality, and poverty in Africa are the primary problems facing the continent. It is difficult to make a livelihood in most African countries because of their poverty. Over the past few years, many African countries have been plagued by extreme violence and instability. It’s worth emphasizing that civilians are frequently the ones who suffer due to acts of violence. Following these battles, economic losses are typical as a result of the peak migration. High rates of population growth are frequently associated with problems such as increased demand for food, increase in crime rates, environmental deterioration, and a lack of access to clean water.
Reference List
Adesoji, A. and Alimi, S., (2020). State Legitimacy and the Boko Haram Insurgency in Nigeria. African Conflict and Peacebuilding Review, 10(2), pp.196-210.
Bøås, M., & Dunn, K. C. (2013). Politics of origin in Africa: autochthony, citizenship and conflict. London, Zed Books. Web.
Cleland, J. and Machiyama, K., (2017). The challenges posed by demographic change in sub-Saharan Africa: a concise overview. Population and Development Review, 43, pp.264-286.
Dunn, K. C., & Englebert, P. (2019). Inside African politics. Lynne Rienner Publishers, Colorado.
Jayne, T.S., Chamberlin, J. and Benfica, R., (2018). Africa’s unfolding economic transformation. The Journal of Development Studies, 54(5), pp.777-787