Why African countries are poor, underdeveloped

Guest Columnist By Richard Odusanya

Characteristically, the former director of the defunct Kenya Anti-corruption Commission (KACC) pointed out that freedom will not be given to Africa on a silver platter, but that the continent must stand up and take responsibility for itself. Lumumba remarked as follows:

Dear African compatriots, we’re poor because our cousins in power have betrayed us. They own the tools for our development but they misuse their interests. They confine themselves in comfortable vehicles and forget about the ordinary woman who has to till her mall plot to raise food for her children. The response to the protests and backlash from Kenya’s young people (Gen-Z), has the potential to reshape the way power works in Kenya.

Sadly, the authorities increase taxes to be paid by the poor, and they are happy about it because they don’t feel the pinch, at the end of the day, a huge allowance is waiting for them. As if not enough, they exempt themselves from such taxes and go on to make laws and policies that only favor them and their masters. This is the sad reality intertwined with hopelessness.

Additionally, many other factors such as diseases, wars, corruption, and embezzlement have played a significant role in African underdevelopment. Furthermore, external factors like globalization, slave trade, and colonialism were found to be contributing factors to African underdevelopment. Therefore, as long as we still have them in power, Africa shall continue to dwell in multidimensional poverty.

For emphasis, the average GDP of Africa is the lowest amongst the seven continents (Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Australia, Asia, and Europe) at $9,700 (2021). In 2022, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita in Africa reached 2,150.6 U.S. dollars, the highest value since 2015.

Furthermore, in 2014, the value per Capita was higher, at 2,316 U.S. dollars. As of 2023, the GDP of Africa was estimated at roughly 3.1 trillion U.S. dollars. Seychelles had the largest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita in Africa as of 2024. The value amounted to 21.87 thousand U.S. dollars. Mauritius followed with around 13 thousand U.S. dollars, whereas Gabon registered 9.31 thousand U.S. dollars. GDP per capita is calculated by dividing a country’s GDP by its population, meaning that some of the largest economies are not ranked within the leading ten.

Sadly, things have only gone from bad to worse with liberation and independence. While most of what we have to deal with today is the aftermath of colonialism, bashing the long-gone colonialists for everything is shirking leadership responsibility. Pan-Africanist and human rights activist, P L O Lumumba, opined that the deficit of trust in governance in many African countries is impeding democracy and development on the continent.

Characteristically, the former director of the defunct Kenya Anti-corruption Commission (KACC) pointed out that freedom will not be given to Africa on a silver platter, but that the continent must stand up and take responsibility for itself. Lumumba remarked as follows:

“We must pray and fast but it will not happen, because the last time I checked even those of you who are believers – when Abraham was taken from the Ur of the Chaldeans and given Canaan, it was not on a silver platter. He had to fight the Canaanites; he had to fight the Philistines.”

Africa will always be poor and is bound to fail further until the attitude of people changes. Many factors contribute to the underdevelopment of certain parts of Africa. Some of these include historical factors such as colonialism, which disrupted traditional economic and social structures, and the legacy of the slave trade. Other factors include poor leadership/governance, corruption, profligacy, recklessness, conflict, and insufficient investment in education and infrastructure.

Following the above reasons “Why African Countries Are Poor And Underdeveloped” I opined, that, Africans have failed over time to develop their intellectual and cultural capacity (not as fast as the whites at least), and largely due to a deep imbibed (almost on a DNA-level) satisfaction with mediocrity which stemmed from environmental advantages (not even disadvantages) millions of years ago in the earliest stages of human development and migration when the first hominids started to migrate out of Africa.

Unfortunately, while Europe was meandering through the Age of Enlightenment, for example, and celebrating groundbreaking discoveries in science and technology, most of Africa was bottled up in comfort zones of small organized farming and fishing territories with little interest in developing beyond satisfying their basic needs.

In conclusion, allow me to adopt the position of Paul Kagame, a Rwandan politician and former military officer who has been the President of Rwanda since 2000. President Kagame profoundly posited: “I will rather argue, that we need to mobilize the right mindsets, rather than more funding, after all, in Africa, we have everything we need, in terms of whatever is lacking, we have the means to acquire, and yet we remain mentally married to the idea that nothing can get moving without external finance. We are even begging for things we already have.

Richard Odusanya can be reached at odusanyagold@gmail.com