The Cause Of Underdevelopment In Africa

In terms of the economic well-being, Africa is falling behind from the rest of the world. Although global poverty is at its decline as the economic growth of the countries such as China and India are getting better. However, the decline in African economy is disappointing. According to Sachs, poverty in Africa is rising at a faster rate. The question arises that what is the fundamental cause of underdevelopment in Africa? This has been a research topic in Africa from the past few years. It has been difficult to identify exactly the cause for the underdevelopment of Africa, but the four strands of thoughts stand out. This is mostly specific to South Africa and Nigeria. The economy of Nigeria has been in dire strait for many years; therefore,

The effect of colonial institutions made a huge difference in determining the income level of the institution . However, people of Nigeria blamed there leaders not the colonial institutions . In a research conducted by Acemoglu, et.al (2001), Hernst (2000) highlighted that the Europeans were resorted from the different styles of colonization. Malaria was considered as a killer that then increases the mortality rate among the human population . This was the cause that colonizer were unable to settle in the tropical regions of Africa. It was analyzed that the colonial extraction could move the level of production of from high to low-level equilibrium. Thirdly, the cause analyzed was the economic impact of Africans engaged in slave trade. According to this view, the engagement of slave trade caused the massive depopulation of the continent from decades . This badly affected the economic conditions of Nigeria and division of labor was also slowed down.

Fourthly, corruption in South Africa and especially Nigeria was the root cause that did not let Africa to be a developed nation. This badly impacted the sustainable development of the African economy. Corruption has been considered as a disease in Nigeria which has brought untold economic dilapidation, poverty and low infrastructure facilities in Nigeria . The research mainly focused on the root causes of underdevelopment

The introduction provides an overview of the research topic, along with the problem that has been the basis of this study. Furthermore, the introduction section highlighted the aim and objectives of this research, in addition to the research questions. The second chapter of the dissertation will focus on a review of previous research about the research problem. The literature review section will provide a comprehensive understanding of major concepts discussed previously by the researcher in the context of root causes of underdevelopment in South Africa and Nigeria. The third chapter will explain the research methodology and research design adopted for conducting this research. The next chapter, fourth chapter, will highlight the findings of the study relating it to previous studies to answer research questions. Last chapter will provide an overall conclusion of the research, highlighting whether the researcher has achieved the aim and objectives of the