# Can Africa be saved? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 26, 2004, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-africa-be-saved/226214 "2004-01-26T21:08:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2004, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-africa-be-saved/226214/81 "2004-02-02T15:19:42Z")
> [@notquitekarpov](#): > > BTW it is understanding that demanding apologies with the threat of “going to the mods” is itself a breach of the decorum of these Boards. You are feel to ask for an apology, if you want to report any post to the mods you are of course free to do so - so long as you do so quietly, don’t annouce the fact and sit back and wait action or otherwise. Since when? I been here next to forever, & I never heard of _that_. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![notquitekarpov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@notquitekarpov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notquitekarpov)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2004, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-africa-be-saved/226214/82 "2004-02-02T16:09:25Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > [ol] > … > [li]How is it _possible_ to discuss an \*entire continent \* in terms \*other \* than generalizations? 😕 [/li][li]I don’t believe that the charge of “ignorance” is even close to being proved. [/li]… > [/ol] Most people would not have attempted to dismiss an entire continents prospects of development on the grounds of comparative geography, particularly when you cannot even get your classifications correct (I deduce you have Zimbabwe in Central rather than East Africa). You are leaving yourself open to ridicule, and as far as I see have been let off lightly by this thead, let us look at your analysis more closely shall we? > [@](#): > > The Red Sea Coast would be a natural for trade ports, due to the Suez, but it’s a Hell of anarchy. I’m not kidding when I say that piracy & the slave trade are boom industries in Ethiopia & Somalia. You really cannot lump a failed state like Somalia with Ethiopa. Slavery is today not a significant issue in either, unlike Sudan or Mauritania. [http://members.aol.com/casmasalc/african\_slave\_trade.html](http://members.aol.com/casmasalc/african_slave_trade.html) > [@](#): > > Southeast Africa has few good ports, and few resources. Hesitate to assume what you mean by Southeast Africa, but assuming it includes East Africa, then Tanzania is experiencing a period of excellent growth, although I do not necessarily agree with the IMF structural reform treatment without trade reform to accompany it. [afrol News - redirecting to new location](http://www.afrol.com/News2003/tan009_reforms.htm) > [@](#): > > South Africa is doing well, but it seems to have little intrest in developing the economies of its neighbors. This is news to most South Africans I have met working here. South Africa is the economic powerhouse and chief growth driver of its adjacient neighbours. For some stats see [http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/eco\_gdp\_rea\_gro\_rat&int=20&id=AFR](http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/eco_gdp_rea_gro_rat&int=20&id=AFR) > [@](#): > > The changes in Lybia offer new possibilities in North Africa, but Sub-Saharan Africa is isolated from this area. Libya is not terribly irrelevent from an African perspective, with a tiny population sharing the “curse of oil” with Angola, but with none of the other natural advantages that might allow the resource income to be reinvested in a sustainable economy. > [@](#): > > But Egypt has little influence in the Sudan, the Sudanese are hostile & xenophobic, & their slave trade alienates the West anyhoo. A totally closed door . Even Africa is not looking to the Sudan :rolleyes: to drag them out of their economic problems. > [@](#): > > Southwest Africa is a lifeless, virtually uninhabited desert, the Namib. Nothing thrives there, not even the jackals. No possibilities here. Already addressed. > [@](#): > > West Africa has resources, ports, a workforce, abundant water, lush farmland, unchecked Civil War, and Ebola outbreaks (importing things from here can make consumers nervous). I actually think West Africa has more problems than some other regions you could mention but Ebola is not even on the radar as a major issue. Certain countries have Civil Wars running but a minority, a big minority if you weight the data by GDP (Nigeria being the powerhouse here, which has political/corruption problems rather than geographic ones. > [@](#): > > Central African society is being destroyed by AIDS. Education has proven ineffective, as cultural values tend to tilt people towards rejecting this health education. In addition, recent events resulting in Europeans having their farmland confiscated at gunpoint will rather discourage investment. No great sucesses can happen here until an AIDS cure or vaccine is developed. Education has not proven ineffective, where a proper programme has been tried it has shown to be highly effective - see my Ugandan link earlier. > [@](#): > > The biggest barrier to change is the Africa citizens’ resistance, even hostility, to change. Says who? As to the charge of ignorance - I will leave it to others to judge on the basis of the build up of evidence. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-africa-be-saved/226214.md?page=4)