The reason for the inglorious decline in food production can be attributed to both natural and artificial factors: the drought and the desertification of the Sahel, the secessionist and irredentist wars in Sudan, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone and Ethiopia, South Africa and the selfishness of the super powers who appear determined and probably delighted to see Africa remain as an undeveloped region.
Africa’s debt problem is the result effect of inability to develop her otherwise abundant resources and pull her natural resources for the benefit of all her people. For instance, there is sufficient electric power from Zaire and Zimbabwe can generate all the power needed in central, east and southern Africa, provided an agreement exist on payment and transmissions capacities are put in place. The cost of developing these resources are for the most part already met by loan, but the burden of repayment can be lighted through co-operation between countries.
Today the condition of six hundred million Africans make the lot of African-Americans seen like paradise: Africa’s debt of over $300 billion amounts to 80% of its gross domestic product; 320% of its export earnings per capita income declined by 3.4% per annum between 1980 and 1986; and real wages declined 19%, to only 75% of which they were in 1975.
Between 1980 and 1987 the number of the jobs available in Africa declined by 16%, while the labor force increased by 2.7% per annum resulting in 22 million unemployed, and 95 million underemployed. Among the very volatile age group of young men aged15 to 24, young men in their prime and vigor, constitute 30% of the population. Their unemployment rates varied between 65 and 75%. Compare this with your highest figure of 24% at the height of your great depression.
To put some flesh on the skeleton of these figures, and to create a perspective, I would like to make some brief comparisons between your great country, the United States of America and my dear country Nigeria which many regard without irony as the giant of Africa.
This African giant has an estimated population of 140 million, compared to 9.9 million for tiny Belgium, and 250 million for the mighty U.S.A. But looks are truly deceptive because Belgium has a G.D.P almost five times as large as Nigeria’s. Its per capita income in 1988 was almost $15,000, compared to $290 for Nigeria and $20,000 for the U.S.A.
For every statistics the situation is even worse. For every 100,000 live births in my country, 1,500 mothers die, compared to 10 in Belgium and 9 in the U.S.A .Our infant mortality is 103 per thousand live births compared to 9 for Belgium and 10 in the U.S.A. While we have a life expectancy of 51 years, Belgians and Americans can look forward to more than the biblical quota of three scores and ten.
