Africa

==Economy==
{{Main|Economy of Africa|List of African countries by GDP (nominal)|List of African countries by GDP (PPP)}}
{{See also|Economy of the African Union}}
[[File:RECs of the AEC.svg|thumb|upright=1.2|Map of the [[African Economic Community]].
{{legend|#691717|[[Community of Sahel-Saharan States|CEN-SAD]]}}
{{legend|#4F4FB1|[[Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa|COMESA]]}}
{{legend|#E88356|[[East African Community|EAC]]}}
{{legend|#272759|[[Economic Community of Central African States|ECCAS]]}}
{{legend|#C43C7F|[[Economic Community of West African States|ECOWAS]]}}
{{legend|#4DB34D|[[Intergovernmental Authority on Development|IGAD]]}}
{{legend|#D22E2E|[[Southern African Development Community|SADC]]}}
{{legend|#7E8000|[[Arab Maghreb Union|UMA]]}}
]]

Although it has abundant [[natural resource]]s, Africa remains the world's poorest and [[Human Development Index|least-developed]] continent (other than [[Antarctica]]), the result of a variety of causes that may include [[Corruption Perceptions Index|corrupt governments]] that have often committed serious [[human rights violations]], failed [[central planning]], high levels of [[illiteracy]], low self-esteem, lack of access to foreign capital, legacies of colonialism, the [[Slavery|slave]] trade, and the Cold War, and frequent tribal and military conflict (ranging from [[guerrilla warfare]] to [[genocide]]).<ref>Sandbrook, Richard (1985) ''The Politics of Africa's Economic Stagnation'', Cambridge University Press.  passim</ref> Its total nominal GDP remains behind that of the United States, China, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, India and France. According to the United Nations' Human Development Report in 2003, the bottom 24 ranked nations (151st to 175th) were all African.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hdr.undp.org/|title=Human Development Reports – United Nations Development Programme|website=hdr.undp.org|access-date=11 September 2005|archive-date=16 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180316042117/http://hdr.undp.org/|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Poverty in Africa|Poverty]], illiteracy, [[malnutrition]] and inadequate [[WASH|water supply and sanitation]], as well as poor health, affect a large proportion of the people who reside in the African continent. In August 2008, the [[World Bank]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://econ.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTDEC/EXTRESEARCH/0,,contentMDK:21882162~pagePK:64165401~piPK:64165026~theSitePK:469382,00.html |title=World Bank Updates Poverty Estimates for the Developing World |publisher=World Bank |date=26 August 2008 |access-date=18 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100519204804/http://econ.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTDEC/EXTRESEARCH/0%2C%2CcontentMDK%3A21882162~pagePK%3A64165401~piPK%3A64165026~theSitePK%3A469382%2C00.html |archive-date=19 May 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> announced revised global poverty estimates based on a new international poverty line of $1.25 per day (versus the previous measure of $1.00). Eighty-one percent of the [[sub-Saharan Africa]]n population was living on less than $2.50 (PPP) per day in 2005, compared with 86% for India.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://econ.worldbank.org/external/default/main?pagePK=64165259&piPK=64165421&theSitePK=469372&menuPK=64166093&entityID=000158349_20080826113239|title=The developing world is poorer than we thought, but no less successful in the fight against poverty|publisher=World Bank|access-date=16 April 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090323214139/http://econ.worldbank.org/external/default/main?pagePK=64165259&piPK=64165421&theSitePK=469372&menuPK=64166093&entityID=000158349_20080826113239|archive-date=23 March 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Sub-Saharan Africa is the least successful region of the world in reducing poverty ($1.25 per day); some 50% of [[Poverty in Africa|the population living in poverty]] in 1981 (200&nbsp;million people), a figure that rose to 58% in 1996 before dropping to 50% in 2005 (380&nbsp;million people). The average poor person in sub-Saharan Africa is estimated to live on only 70 cents per day, and was poorer in 2003 than in 1973,<ref>[https://www.un.org/Depts/rcnyo/newsletter/survs/ecasurv2004.doc Economic report on Africa 2004: unlocking Africa's potential in the global economy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118033000/http://www.un.org/Depts/rcnyo/newsletter/survs/ecasurv2004.doc |date=18 January 2017 }} (Substantive session 28 June–23 July 2004), United Nations</ref> indicating increasing poverty in some areas. Some of it is attributed to unsuccessful economic liberalization programmes spearheaded by foreign companies and governments, but other studies have cited bad domestic government policies more than external factors.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.globalpolitician.com/21498-africa-malawi-poverty |title=Neo-Liberalism and the Economic and Political Future of Africa |publisher=Globalpolitician.com |date=19 December 2005 |access-date=18 May 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100131200200/http://globalpolitician.com/21498-africa-malawi-poverty |archive-date=31 January 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.turkishweekly.net/news.php?id=58925 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080924092909/http://www.turkishweekly.net/news.php?id=58925 |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 September 2008 |title=The Number of the Poor Increasing Worldwide while Sub-Saharan Africa is the Worst of All |publisher=Turkish Weekly |date=29 August 2008 |access-date=7 November 2011 }}</ref>

Africa is now at risk of being in debt once again, particularly in sub-Saharan African countries. The last debt [[crisis]] in 2005 was resolved with help from the heavily indebted poor countries scheme (HIPC). The HIPC resulted in some positive and negative effects on the economy in Africa. About ten years after the 2005 debt crisis in sub-Saharan Africa was resolved, Zambia fell back into debt. A small reason was due to the fall in copper prices in 2011, but the bigger reason was that a large amount of the money Zambia borrowed was wasted or pocketed by the elite.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/leaders/2018/09/15/zambias-looming-debt-crisis-is-a-warning-for-the-rest-of-africa|title=Zambia's looming debt crisis is a warning for the rest of Africa|newspaper=The Economist|access-date=19 September 2018|language=en|archive-date=18 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180918163443/https://www.economist.com/leaders/2018/09/15/zambias-looming-debt-crisis-is-a-warning-for-the-rest-of-africa|url-status=live}}</ref>

From 1995 to 2005, Africa's rate of economic growth increased, averaging 5% in 2005. Some countries experienced still higher growth rates, notably [[Angola]], [[Sudan]] and [[Equatorial Guinea]], all of which had recently begun extracting their petroleum reserves or had expanded their [[oil extraction]] capacity.

In a recently published analysis based on [[World Values Survey]] data, the Austrian political scientist Arno Tausch maintained that several African countries, most notably [[Ghana]], perform quite well on scales of mass support for democracy and the [[market economy]].<ref>{{cite web|doi=10.2139/ssrn.3214715|ssrn=3214715|title=Africa on the Maps of Global Values: Comparative Analyses, Based on Recent World Values Survey Data|date=2018|last1=Tausch|first1=Arno|s2cid=158596579|url=https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/87966/1/MPRA_paper_87966.pdf|access-date=26 September 2019|archive-date=11 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200211141227/https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/87966/1/MPRA_paper_87966.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
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{| class="wikitable"  style="text-align: right; float:left; border:1px solid #aaa; margin:10px auto 10px auto"
|- style="background:#dbdbdb;"
! Rank
! Country
! [[List of IMF ranked countries by past and projected GDP (nominal)|GDP]] <small>(nominal, Peak Year)</small><br /><small>millions of [[International dollar|USD]]</small>
! Peak Year
|-
|—||align=left|''{{nowrap|{{flag|African Union}}}}''||2,945,709||2022
|-
| 1 ||align=left|{{flag|Nigeria}} ||568,499||2014
|-
| 2 ||align=left|{{flag|Egypt}}||476,748||2022
|-
| 3 ||align=left|{{flag|South Africa}}||458,708||2011
|-
| 4 ||align=left|{{flag|Algeria}} ||224,107||2023
|-
| 5 ||align=left|{{flag|Ethiopia}} ||155,804||2023
|-
| 6 ||align=left|{{flag|Morocco}} ||147,343||2023
|-
| 7 ||align=left|{{flag|Angola}} ||145,712||2014
|-
| 8 ||align=left|{{flag|Kenya}} ||113,701||2022
|-
| 9 ||align=left|{{flag|Libya}}<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2023/October/weo-report?c=522,672,&s=NGDPD,&sy=1980&ey=2023&ssm=0&scsm=1&scc=0&ssd=1&ssc=0&sic=0&sort=country&ds=.&br=1|title=Peak GDP (Nominal) for Libya |access-date=2023-11-04}}</ref>||92,542||2012
|-
| 10 ||align=left|{{flag|Tanzania}} ||84,033||2023
|}
{| class="wikitable"  style="text-align: right; float:right; border:1px solid #aaa; margin:10px"
|- style="background:#dbdbdb;"
! Rank
! Country
! [[List of countries by past and projected GDP (PPP)|GDP]] <small>(PPP, Peak Year)</small><br /><small>millions of [[International dollar|USD]]</small>
! Peak Year
|-
|—||align=left|''{{nowrap|{{flag|African Union}}}}''||8,865,179||2023
|-
| 1 ||align=left|{{flag|Egypt}} ||1,809,425||2023
|-
| 2 ||align=left|{{flag|Nigeria}} ||1,365,903||2023
|-
| 3 ||align=left|{{flag|South Africa}}||997,444||2023
|-
| 4 ||align=left|{{flag|Algeria}}||628,990||2023
|-
| 5 ||align=left|{{flag|Ethiopia}} ||393,297||2023
|-
| 6 ||align=left|{{flag|Morocco}} ||385,337||2023
|-
| 7 ||align=left|{{flag|Kenya}} ||338,964||2023
|-
| 8 ||align=left|{{flag|Angola}} ||260,323||2023
|-
| 9 ||align=left|{{flag|Tanzania}} ||227,725||2023
|-
| 10 ||align=left|{{flag|Ghana}} ||227,189||2023
|}
{{-}}
Tausch's global value comparison based on the [[World Values Survey]] derived the following factor analytical scales: 1. The non-violent and law-abiding society 2. Democracy movement 3. Climate of personal non-violence 4. Trust in institutions 5. Happiness, good health 6. No redistributive religious fundamentalism 7. Accepting the market 8. Feminism 9. Involvement in politics 10. Optimism and engagement 11. No welfare mentality, acceptancy of the Calvinist work ethics. The spread in the performance of African countries with complete data, Tausch concluded "is really amazing". While one should be especially hopeful about the development of future democracy and the market economy in [[Ghana]], the article suggests pessimistic tendencies for [[Egypt]] and [[Algeria]], and especially for Africa's leading economy, South Africa. High [[Human Inequality]], as measured by the [[UNDP]]'s [[Human Development Report]]'s [[Index of Human Inequality]], further impairs the development of [[human security]]. Tausch also maintains that the certain recent optimism, corresponding to economic and human rights data, emerging from Africa, is reflected in the development of a [[civil society]].
[[File:African countries by GDP (PPP) per capita in 2020.png|upright=1.2|thumb|African countries by GDP (PPP) per capita in 2020]]
The continent is believed to hold 90% of the world's [[cobalt]], 90% of its [[platinum]], 50% of its gold, 98% of its [[chromium]], 70% of its [[tantalite]],<ref>"[http://allafrica.com/stories/200802070635.html Africa: Developed Countries' Leverage On the Continent] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020072131/http://allafrica.com/stories/200802070635.html |date=20 October 2012 }}". AllAfrica.com. 7 February 2008</ref> 64% of its [[manganese]] and one-third of its [[uranium]].<ref>[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article3319909.ece Africa, China's new frontier] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629123044/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article3319909.ece |date=29 June 2011 }}. ''Times Online''. 10 February 2008</ref> The [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]] (DRC) has 70% of the world's [[coltan]], a mineral used in the production of [[tantalum capacitor]]s for electronic devices such as cell phones. The DRC also has more than 30% of the world's diamond reserves.<ref>{{Cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5209428.stm| title=DR Congo poll crucial for Africa| work=BBC| date=16 November 2006| access-date=10 October 2009| archive-date=2 December 2010| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5209428.stm| url-status=live}}</ref> [[Guinea]] is the world's largest exporter of [[bauxite]].<ref>[http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/world/africa/article2594373.ece China tightens grip on Africa with $4.4bn lifeline for Guinea junta]. The Times. 13 October 2009 {{subscription required}} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150429071020/http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/world/africa/article2594373.ece |date=29 April 2015 }}</ref> As the growth in Africa has been driven mainly by services and not manufacturing or agriculture, it has been growth without jobs and without reduction in poverty levels. In fact, the [[2007–08 world food price crisis|food security crisis of 2008]] which took place on the heels of the global financial crisis pushed 100 million people into food insecurity.<ref>[http://www.strategicforesight.com/african_decade.htm The African Decade?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100613173905/http://www.strategicforesight.com/african_decade.htm |date=13 June 2010 }}. Ilmas Futehally. Strategic Foresight Group.</ref>

In recent years, the People's Republic of China has built increasingly stronger ties with African nations and is Africa's largest trading partner. In 2007, Chinese companies invested a total of US$1&nbsp;billion in Africa.<ref name=Africa>[http://www.migrationinformation.org/Feature/display.cfm?id=690 Malia Politzer, "China and Africa: Stronger Economic Ties Mean More Migration"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140129114909/http://www.migrationinformation.org/Feature/display.cfm?id=690 |date=29 January 2014 }}, ''Migration Information Source''. August 2008</ref>

A Harvard University study led by professor [[Calestous Juma]] showed that Africa could feed itself by making the transition from importer to self-sufficiency. "African agriculture is at the crossroads; we have come to the end of a century of policies that favoured Africa's export of raw materials and importation of food. Africa is starting to focus on agricultural innovation as its new engine for regional trade and prosperity."<ref>[https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101202124337.htm "Africa Can Feed Itself in a Generation, Experts Say"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171017221141/https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101202124337.htm |date=17 October 2017 }}, ''[[Science Daily]]'', 3 December 2010</ref>

=== Electricity generation ===
The main source of [[electricity]] is [[hydropower]], which contributes significantly to the current installed capacity for energy.<ref name=":04" /> The [[Kainji Dam]] is a typical hydropower resource generating electricity for all the large cities in [[Nigeria]] as well as their neighbouring country, [[Niger]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-10-14 |title=An inside look at Kainji Dam |url=http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/index.php/other-sections/star-feature/14058-an-inside-look-at-kainji-dam |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121014181017/http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/index.php/other-sections/star-feature/14058-an-inside-look-at-kainji-dam |archive-date=2012-10-14 |access-date=2020-11-28}}</ref> Hence, the continuous investment in the last decade, which has increased the amount of power generated.<ref name=":04" />