A Single Factor Theory of Africa’s Underdevelopment

Abstract

Africa is in dire need of economic, socio-political and infrastructural developments that will take it out of abject poverty and other forms of backwardness that have made it a subject of scorn among its peers in spite of its vast natural and human resources. Many scholars have attributed the economic and developmental state of the African continent to a number of factors including colonialism, poverty, poor leadership, illiteracy, war and ethnic rivalry. This study, while not disputing those reasons as identified by earlier scholars, is rather of the view that there is a singular factor that is fundamental to Africa’s underdevelopment and all other factors aside this singular factor are somehow offshoots of that singular factor. The study established that the first step ever towards any significant development in the history of mankind was prompted by the climate. Therefore, the development of Africa could not have been at the same pace with the rest of the world that were not equally endowed with favourable climates like those in Africa. The early discoveries and developments in the history of mankind encouraged more advanced developments. It became obvious from this study that the creative and problem resolution ability of the early African man was greatly incapacitated by the continent’s favourable climatic conditions whereas the less favourable conditions of his counterpart in other continents turned out to be an advantage to his counterpart’s early and progressive developments over the ages. African leaders need to be more people oriented in their economic programmes, promote national interests above their personal and foreign masters’ interests for the good of the continent that has not only become a mockery but also a global problem in view of the high influx of its people on illegal migrations to the rest of the world for the purpose of seeking better lives. The continent should therefore be both economically and politically independent.