African countries attained political independence and African leaders are said to have been struggling hard to overcome development challenges....

Since the colonies of Africa were established in order to extract resources for industrial production in Europe, by the time countries reached independence they were already in a state of underdevelopment. Some of the biggest issues that persist as a legacy of colonialism are hunger and famines, poverty and inequality, and health and environmental issues. African countries integration into the world market is primarily as an exporter of agricultural cash crops. If the economy is...

Since the colonies of Africa were established in order to extract resources for industrial production in Europe, by the time countries reached independence they were already in a state of underdevelopment. Some of the biggest issues that persist as a legacy of colonialism are hunger and famines, poverty and inequality, and health and environmental issues. African countries integration into the world market is primarily as an exporter of agricultural cash crops. If the economy is dependent on producing the highest value crops that are both neither edible nor meant for domestic consumption, then food needs can only be met by imports. If imported food is more expensive than producing the same thing locally, then larger segments of the population are more vulnerable to hunger -- and famine can more easily and rapidly ensue. This structure (and policies) of agricultural production also effects the level of poverty and inequality. However, it is important to note we are not just referring to economic equality, but also the ways it intersects with gender, religious, and rural/urban inequality as well. In addition to the mode of agricultural production and terms of trade, economic inequality is also an effect of foreign aid/loans that come with austere conditions. The majority of this foreign assistance is not only dependent on governments cutting spending, that effects the most vulnerable, but also the influx of funds consolidate in the few hands of the elite. Moreover, where there is foreign investment (not just loans/aid for debt), it predominantly is concentrated on the extraction and refinement of particular resources—which has the dual effect of siphoning the profit of the most valuable of assets to the already wealthy both domestic and foreign, and of creating gross instances of toxic pollution that harm both human health and the environment. These are all major issues plaguing African leaders in the present.