In order to commemorate Africa Day. our forum reached out to South African Entrepreneurs on our sister forums in order to hear their views on Africa and poverty. Our post became the major talking point across the rainbow nation with a lot of radio stations and business forums following up on it. Below are some of the responses from the thousands of people who responded. The responses are also included in our eagerly awaited book titled Business Opportunities for South Africans which is coming out next week
Why is Africa Poor?
Edward: Africa is the richest continent, just that minerals are mismanaged by its people.
Nhlanhla : We are not united-tribalism and xenophobia still exist.
Abdalla: Because more money leaves Africa than it comes in.
Bonga: Africa is rich, Africans are poor. This is because most of our resources are in the hands of foreigners.
Gabriel: From my experience, our motherland has a high shortage of resources and facilities.
Brenda: If you poor you must not blame yourself, whatever the mind conceive and believe it will achieve.
Joseph: Most of us provide poor services and no one is willing to give us a chance because of that. We should learn render a quality of service at all times than cutting corners
Gilbert: We don’t celebrate the achievement of one another; we could do more to exchange our resources technology instead of getting money when we trade with the world powers.
Nhlanhla: Africa is held back by using development models which it did not design.
Dick : We do not want to accept responsibility but play the blame game. We busy hating each other ethnically, socially and morally. We let our politicians plunder and rob us and expect NGO’s to give us handouts. At one point or another other continents were colonised (Asia and Americas). We look down upon ourselves. We also don’t learn from mistakes.
Mohale : Capitalist Nigger….my Bible. ..Our problem as Black race is state of our mind.
Motlogeloa: Africa is not poor, Africans are poor.
Musa: It’s because we are jealous of each other and endless fights. I have never heard a White or Indian calling another foreigner, Xhosa or Venda. They support each other no matter what.
Tawananyasha:It’s a struggle in Africa. Youths with ideas are not welcome into African politics. Rulers who have access to state resources will do whatever it takes to make sure youth do not benefit or have access to resources.
Zakhele : So much could be said to answer this question: but the two leading reasons why Africa is wallowing in poverty (in my view) are:
1. Leadership – everything rises and falls on leadership! Strong leaders, with an all encompassing and progressive vision are needed. Africa is very unlucky to be riddled with visionless leaders.
- Profit offsets, illicit financial flows, tax evasion, transactions on African assets exchanging ownership with zero dollars being registered on African soil for those assets being sold, Africa accounts for 3% of global trade and 15% of the global population. That 3% is little compared to the actual value of assets being traded on African soil in which powerful countries and global companies evade registering that asset exchange on African soil. Even when some assets are reflected as sold in Africa, they are underpriced and their true market value lies hidden (and money exchanges hands outside of Africa) so that those global companies maximize their profits and African countries and people and governments lose out in the process!
Saul : Why is it seen as a Dark Continent, why Africa is in the state that it is today. Where failure seems to be a reality. Maybe if Africa can rethink it’s history it’s present state and rethink it’s future maybe Africa can forge a better future going forward.
Sibusiso :Because Africans are busy filling up churches and praying for God to solve their problems instead of taking full responsibility of their lives and the lives of their children.
Samu: Reading. Readers are leaders! Finish.
Sandy: One answer: because us Africans, we don’t love each other.
Adelaide: Greed
Nhlanhla: Africans must understand that to survive and progress we need to put our race first and above all others. But again the programming we suffered won’t allow most blacks to do that.
Fay: Africa is not Poor…what is POVERTY?…We must start there!
Ralufhe : Most of African leaders just possess poor brains, we are not poor.
Sebe: Selfish people, corruption at the highest level klaar.
Raboiyane: Africa is poorly managed.
Mangaliso: Africa is not poor. However, as much as we are quick to point out the reasons for the ‘poor Africa’ tag, we are thin on solutions to change that thinking. For an ‘Africa is Rich’ reality to be top of the mind, we have to be in charge of our destiny. We can’t change our past, but our future is in our hands. Let’s stop blame and start taking responsibility.
Opelo: Theoretically we are not poor but practically we are poor and the reason why you’ll keep asking this question is that you’ll are pointing at the theoretical way of us not being poor rather than focusing at the current situation we are in at the moment…
Abraham: The real facts about Africans are that we are happy with someone’s downfall, if someone makes it in life we kill him or her by witchcraft practice, also in Africa we believe in being employed than to be employers… we don’t want to appreciate good things done by our fellow Africans. We only appreciate good things done by someone when he or she is dead! Also Africans we sleep more hours -imagine someone sleeping 10 hours or more whilst in other continents they sleep for only 5 hour or less…
Alois: Africa MUST read!
Vuyani : Africa is the richest continent with the poorest people.
Melc: Africa is very rich but because of corruption and greedy leaders that’s why we are poor.
Sole : Corruption, greediness, selfishness, egoism, etc. Leaders promise voters good life & when in power they unlawfully organise aviation bursaries for their kids, just to be in the lime light. No nation can progress effectively under those negatives. To simply sum it: poor governance is the reason.
Arion: Although I am a white African, in my humble opinion, both from experience and chatting to friends, and observation:
1) Letting go of negative self-beliefs that keep one in a cage of mental slavery is important
2) Over-emphasis on sex, producing children, lack of responsibility towards children
3) Addictions.. alcohol and drugs
4) In some cases witchcraft
5) Poor holding to account wrong-doers
6) And a false pride in being able to suffer so much
SADLY HISTORY HAS DONE WRONG IN AFRICA BUT IT ALSO HAS AFFORDED HELP TO AFRICA THROUGH EDUCATION.
Please…. my commentary is said in absolute love and without any racist vibe.
Chinoz: If we change the way we look at things, the things we look at will change and we will start to witness a change in our lives. We have got the wrong picture of life and we are not willing to look into it properly.
Lufuno Who is that who can come with a solution on how we as blacks can love and respect each other? Africa is divided and we need to have have peace among ourselves as individuals.
Foyn Africans are not united.
Lufuno : The hidden truth is that us as black we don’t have respect for each other and we undermine each and we want prove points to each other while not noticing that us as Africans we killing our roots.
Thabani : Lack of info thats all.
Ria : Because of politicians who lack vision and focus on economic development. Ethiopia is the country to watch – they’re heading in the right direction. They are not suffering from liberation politics hangover.
Lufuno : (Africans) the time came for Africa to be free from this mess has come. Amanda to black leadership power brother and sister.
Ria: Spot on! What is currently happening in Cameroon is actually funny! The fight is between the English speaking Cameroonians and French speaking Cameroonians – why do Africans fight over foreign languages not their indigenous languages? Moving towards one Africa, how are we going to deal with the issues of language – Anglophone Africa, Francophone Africa, and Lusophone Africa?
Collen : African consume and don’t produce. You will hardly find a product that is Black manufactured and on the Forbes list / New York Times.
Nokthula: Mental slavery.
Nndindeni : The philosophy of root cause analysis had proven that you can never come up with the effective corrective action until you have establish the correct root cause.
Zandile: We don’t support each other, love each other nor help each other.
Lwendo : And if people are not expanding their business horizons then rat race is calling. We need to export to each other. Let’s open African links and promote foreign trade. Do not be scared to invest in Uganda or Malawi. It is our land as Africans let’s explore it.
Mahlatse: The dominating group,which is us BLACKS,we barely love one another…We inhibit the strength of diversification and it affects our economic strength, it is slowly leading us to poverty.
Lwendo : We are poor because we just chat on facebook instead of tilling the land. Too much beer drinking, eating pap and banking on miracles.
Naledi: Because we are not protecting our wealth.
Nervie : Our own African governments DO NOT own even half of our countries mineral resources, most mines in Africa are owned by foreign companies. Africa is the richest continent in the world considering our natural resources but ironically it’s the poorest continent when it comes to life quality.
Velaphi We poor because we make too many babies with different mothers! Most children are raised by single parents.
Lwendo Africa is poor because it is divided.What systems do we believe in? Education system, religious systems,etc. Cooperation, why don’t we trust each other as Africans? Why do we have visas? Why do we hate each other as Africans? E.g Tunis and a Zulu,can they work together?Nigerian and a South African can they work together? Are all these not Africans? We have been brainwashed and this mindset needs to be adjusted that’s when we are going to develop. For now we are tails.waiting on the left overs.
Samuel : African countries are being robbed by political leaders.
Meshack: Because those who are in power of the resources are greedy and that plays a big part in a long run.
Mangaliso: Africa is rich in terms of resources. Africa is rich in terms of development opportunities. Africa is rich in terms of human capital, both skilled and unskilled.
The question is ‘how do Africans create synergy between all these and take charge of Africa going forward?’
Tata : I agree with Meagan Andrea’s comment. Africa is still rich raw mineral wise. Listen to the song ” a beggar sitting on the beach of gold” by Mike n Mechanics band. Hope the reader will have a kind of answer on why Africa is poor.
Thabo : Unemployment is the most cause why Africa is poor, it’s followed by lack of funding for people who want to start their own business, if they could at least create employment opportunities then crime will decrease and of course the endless strikes are destroying state property.
Oteng: We don’t use our inner knowledge, we give up easily. We spend most of our time on the complaining counter waiting for the right time, there is no right time to do what you want to do. The right time is now, don’t waste it!
