Africa's Development in the Twenty-First Century: Pertinent Socio-Economic and Development Issues

Description

Originally published in 2006. The twentieth century can best be characterized as a century of lost opportunities for Africa. Having been under colonial rule for the first half of the century, by 1965 all but a handful of countries had regained their independence and were poised to take off into an era of development. Despite being saddled with many inherited problems, there was an optimism that, by combining abundant natural and human resources with development planning and the support of the international community, African nations could work towards and finally attain levels of development akin to those of the 'West'. Instead, due to both endogenous and exogenous factors, Africa now suffers from the most acute form of underdevelopment, with extreme poverty, high rates of illiteracy, political instability, economic mismanagement, atrophied infrastructure, housing shortages, civil wars, ethnic conflicts, diseases, low life expectancy and high levels of infant mortality. At the start of a new century, it is timely to reflect on what went wrong and - even more vitally - what the prospects are of Africa moving beyond its current socio-economic and political underdevelopment. Bringing together a broad selection of case studies covering a wide range of key issues, this volume provides a multidisciplinary exploration of the continent's development opportunities and challenges into the twenty-first century.