Discussion about the Economic, Social and Political Challenges Facing Africa Today - Assignment Example

Introduction

In contemporary society, Africa faces a number of social, economic, and political challenges.  Colonization of most African nations is the center of a major contributor to the challenges. The high incidences of poverty, unemployment, and hunger are among the challenges that African nations face. The African countries strive to find a solution to these challenges.

Economic challenges

African leaders emulate the colonial governments’ form and system of governance involving full reliance on export profits. The colonial governments relied on the exportation of raw materials and marketed crops in order to generate revenue. That system renders African nations vulnerable to financial crises in case of a drop in international market prices. The overreliance on the exportation of cash crops confines the African nation’s agricultural sector into subsistence farming, a situation contributing to hunger and starvation in Africa. Hunger and starvation is a major challenges facing most African countries, as food remains a primary and essential need for human survival.

The huge population growth in African nations has led to overpopulation leading to high instances of unemployment and dependency ratio in Africa. The high population growth rate in African nations unbalances the available resources leading to food insecurity which is a major challenge in Africa (Ali 15).

Social challenges

African colonizers targeted and concentrated on the major cities and trading centers ignoring the villages and interior regions. As a result, an imbalance in infrastructural, technological, and social development exists between the cities and the rural setups. With the rapid population growth rate unbalancing the available job opportunities in rural areas, individuals move to the town centers in search of job opportunities (Ali 13). The migration leads to overpopulation in the urban set up which is a major challenge. In addition, migration also leads to culture clashes and lowers the standards of living in urban setups. In effect, it lowers the gross domestic income and productivity of that particular nation. Lack of employment opportunities in urban areas eventually results in increased crime rates (Ali 15). These are the challenges confining most of African nations.

Lack of technological knowledge in most African nations’ rural setups derails embracing of the new and modern Western cultures and trends. The long-term effect of this is a complication of interaction between the culturally backward rural dwellers and the town dwellers. Such contrasts lead to corruption, inequality in Africa, and other extremes of regional-based wars.

Political challenges

Political instabilities are a major challenge to many African nations as evidenced by a series of post-poll violence.  The unrest has given rise to increasing internal conflicts that derail development among African nations. Favoritism, nepotism, corruption, and negative ethnicity are politically triggered challenges that most African nations face.

Political transitions and challenges offer a shrewd and interdisciplinary technique toward the development and failure of democratic institutions in African countries. The failure of such institutions is a challenge facing African countries since it may lead to wars because of discontent among citizens.