Today’s Issues:

Africa

European colonialism of the 1800s has left most of today’s independent African nations with economic, health, educational, and political problems.

A soldier stands guard in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo.

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SECTION 1 Economic Development

SECTION 2 Health Care

Today’s Issues:

Africa

Case Study Effects of Colonialism

Unit Map: Physical Unit Map: PoliticalUnit Atlas: Physical

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Unit Atlas: Political

Section 1

Economic Development • Africa’s history of colonization has had

long-term effects on its economy.

• Barriers to African economic development include illiteracy, foreign debt, and a lack of manufacturing industries.

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Africa’s Economy Today

A History of Problems • Most countries do little manufacturing

- sell raw materials to industrialized countries • European colonizers exploited Africa’s resources,

people - millions sold into slavery or died from harsh

working conditions• Took the strongest Africans out • Land was mined, drilled; environment was

ignored • All this has limited Africa’s economic growth,

political stability• In 2001, Ghana peacefully elected a new

president

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continued Africa’s Economy Today

Africa’s Economic Status • Most African countries are worse off today than in

1960- average incomes have decreased- worldwide: accounts for 1% of total GNP, 1.5% of

exports • Rely heavily on raw materials for their income

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On the Road to Development

Reducing Debt and Increasing Cooperation • Newly independent countries borrowed money to

build economies- total debt of sub-Saharan governments was $227

billion by 1997- many Western leaders push to forgive Africa’s

debts • Trying to improve economies through regional

cooperation - Economic Community of West African States

(ECOWAS)- Southern African Development Community

(SADC)- groups promote trade, improvement of

infrastructure

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continued On the Road to Development

Building Industries • “One-commodity” countries rely on export of one

or two commodities- commodity—agricultural or mining product that

can be sold- value varies daily based on worldwide supply and

demand- this makes “one-commodity” nations’ economies

unstable • Economists want Africans to diversify—create

variety in economies- promote manufacturing to achieve economic

growth and stabilty • East Africa’s Djibouti established shipping center on

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Educating Workers

Improving Education • Uneducated populace is a large barrier to economic

development • Average schooling time for women up only 1.2

years in last 40 years • In Angola and Somalia, civil wars have destroyed

school systems • But in Algeria, 94% get a formal education

- 83% of Mauritians over 15 are literate

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Reversing the Brain Drain • Many professionals migrate to Western nations

- International Organization for Migration urgesreturn

Section 2

Health Care• Epidemic diseases are killing Africa’s

people in huge numbers.

• African nations and countries around the world are using a variety of methods, including education, to eradicate disease.

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Disease and Despair

Serious Diseases • Cholera — sometimes fatal infection

- spread by poor sanitation, lack of clean water • Malaria—often-fatal infectious disease marked by

chills, fever- carried by mosquitoes; resistant to drugs due to

overuse • Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)—

caused by HIV virus- 70% of adult, 80% of child AIDS cases are in

Africa- often paired with tuberculosis—infectious

respiratory infection

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AIDS Stalks the Continent

Africa Bears the Brunt • 3 million died from AIDS worldwide in 2000

- 2.4 million lived in sub-Saharan Africa • In Swaziland, 3 of 4 deaths were from AIDS

- life expectancy has fallen from 58 years to 39 • In 2000, 26 million people in Africa had HIV or AIDS

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continued AIDS Stalks the Continent

A High Price to Pay • Widespread disease has economic consequences

- sick people work less or not at all, earn less, slipinto poverty

• AIDS is lowering South Africa’s GDP- by 2010, it could be 17% lower compared to

without AIDS • Medical care for AIDS patients is expensive

- UNAIDS estimates $4.63 billion needed to fightAIDS in Africa

- UNAIDS—United Nations program studying AIDS epidemic

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Strategies Against AIDS • South Africa, Brazil work together on AIDS

prevention, care- Brazil has public health policies to fight AIDS,

other diseases- Brazil’s policies are considered a model for

developing nations

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continued Nations Respond

Success Stories • Uganda and Senegal have reduced spread of HIV

- in 1997, Uganda offers same-day HIV tests,education programs

- infection rates among 15 to 24 year olds havedropped 50%

• Senegal controls spread of AIDS with intensive education program- infection rates have been below 2% since mid-

1980s • UNAIDS says HIV infection rates in sub-Saharan

Africa are down- 1999–2000: dropped by 200,000 cases, but

figure may be misleading

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