Following the stereotypes, it is taken that Africa is a one big reservoir of poverty but we shall discuss why Africa is not a poor village as believed by many who wrought up this disreputing image of the large black continent. According to statistics, it should also be accepted or taken that Africa has a wide range of natural resources to itself. These are obviously more than the possession of the rest of the world.
There’s no denying that humanity has evolved in remarkable ways, but there is still a great deal of inequality and misunderstandings that exist in society, especially on a global level.
One vastly misunderstood place covers 6 percent of the Earth’s surface and more than 1.1 billion of the world’s population calls it home: Africa. There are many myths about Africa that people throughout the world believe to be true. The truth is that these myths are rooted in misinformation, lack of knowledge, and stereotypes.
Stereotypes are danger to the advancement of any society, and that is because it leads to the widespread belief of myths of wrongness.
Why Africa is Not a Poor Village as Believed
Based on oversimplified, fixed assumptions about groups of people, stereotypes are often justified. That is why generalizations can be more helpful than stereotypes. However, in order to debunk the many dangerous stereotypes about Africa as the cesspit of anything worse in this world or in the existence of man, this article is set to inform you about the reasons why Africa is not a poor village as believed by everyone including you!
Africa is a Large Continent With Highest Number of Young Men
Africa is a continent made up of 54 independent countries, and it’s the world’s oldest populated area. Misconceptions of Africa often include the belief that it’s its own country or made up of only a few countries. The continent of Africa is vast, and it’s the second-largest continent in the world. Of the nearly 200 independent countries on Earth, a quarter of them are in Africa, where the population is more than 1 billion.
The people of Africa’s countries speak a great variety of languages, Arabic being the most popular with about 170 million speakers. Besides Arabic, the people of Africa speak English, Swahili, French, Portuguese, Spanish, and many more languages. About 25 percent of the languages spoken in African countries aren’t recognized anywhere else in the world, which is a testament to its diversity and fullness.
Seventy percent of the population of Africa is under age 30, which is proof that the oldest continent is home to many young people. The continent is also increasingly urban, with more than 50 cities with populations greater than a million people. Thirty-nine percent of Africans live in urban areas. The young age demographic, coupled with the urbanization of Africa, is a recipe for further innovation and more positive change.
Rising Innovation in Technology
This is another very fat reason why Africa is not a poor village as believed. It is common misconceptions of Africa that the country is behind the rest of the world, lacking in innovative technology. The truth is that people in some African countries lack access to education and resources, but they make the most of what they have. They are undoubtedly resourceful and innovative.
- Cell phones are as common in Nigeria and South Africa as they are in the United States – about nine out of 10 people own one.
- Mobile banking is common in Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya.
- Smartphone usage is on the rise, with 34 percent of South Africans and 27 percent of Nigerians owning one
- Traffic-Regulating Robots. Thérèse Izay from Congo-Kinshasa invented humanlike robots to regulate traffic in Kinshasa. The robots function as a traffic light combined with a crossing guard. In March 2015, there were five robots regulating traffic in this city, located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- Drone in Nigeria. In December of 2013, Nigeria’s first unmanned aerial vehicle, commonly referred to as a drone, was created at the Nigerian Air Force School of Engineers. It can fly nonstop at 3,000 feet for nearly four hours. This is a significant accomplishment because it was Nigeria’s first indigenous drone flight.
- Mercedes S-Class Interior Design. Steeve Burkhalter from Congo-Brazzaville designed the interior of the Mercedes’ concept car.
Read Also: Why African Educational System is Not As Bad As Everyone Thought
Super Weather in Africa
Africa has the best weather conditions when compared with the rest of the ones that obtain in the rest of the world. Here are the suitable weather conditions that can allow business and investors thrive in the environment:
- It Snows in Africa. There are ski resorts in Morocco and quite a few other African countries. Africa’s high elevations experience snowfall, even those locations close to the equator. Locations in South Africa experience below-freezing temperatures throughout the winter.
- The Largest Vegetation Zone in Africa is Savanna. People commonly mistake Africa as one gigantic desert. The truth is that Africa contains deserts, rainforests, mountains, and savannas. A savanna is a grassy plain with only a few trees, and it’s often found in tropical and subtropical regions. Many people accurately describe the African savanna as rolling grassland dotted with trees.
- The Temperature Variation is Vast. Africa is large, therefore it’s difficult to make any generalizations about the continent as a whole. There are, of course, changes in seasons and many different countries with different elevations. This makes it difficult to provide an average temperature. Asking for an average temperature in Africa would be like asking for the average temperature for North America and half of South America combined.
Huge Natural Resources in Africa
It is generally believed that everyone in Africa lives in poverty and there are no growing industries or opportunities. Well, in this topic about why Africa is not a poor village as believed, you will be enlightened. While it’s true that in Sub-Saharan Africa, it is estimated that more than 218 million people live in extreme poverty, many people simply do not see past the statistics to gain a deeper understanding about the root of the problems. Furthermore, many people fail to understand that not every African country is poor, and that Africa is, in fact, quite rich in many growing areas.
When it comes to oil and gas potential, especially, Africa is not poor. In 2013, the majority of the global discoveries in the oil and gas sector were made in Africa, and there are hundreds of companies surveying the area. Nine-tenths of Africa’s annual production volume of gas is exported from Nigeria, Libya, Algeria and Egypt. There are many other minerals and natural resources found in abundance in Africa, such as copper, coal, uranium, aluminum, iron, and steel. The following are the natural resources and other places where huge resources can be found in Africa:
- Industrial Diamond. Africa accounts for about 46 percent of the world’s diamonds. Botswana, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone are the top exporters.
- Bauxite. Bauxite earns Guinea a great deal of foreign exchange, and the country exports about 8 percent of the world’s total.
- Platinum Group Metals. Africa exports most of the world’s platinum group metals, contributing an astounding 75 percent of the world’s total output. South Africa contributes most of this metal.
- Phosphate Rock. Algeria, Egypt, Senegal and South Africa account for most of the continent’s phosphate rock exports.
- Gold. As the most mined resource in Africa, it’s responsible for about 21 percent of the world’s total. Countries exporting gold include South Africa, Ghana and Tanzania, among many others.
- Vermiculite. South Africa and Zimbabwe export most of the continent’s vermiculite.
- Cobalt. Zambia provides the world with a great deal of cobalt, and the country is highly dependent on this export.
- Zirconium. Much of the world’s supply of zirconium is mined in and exported from South Africa.
