African Economics

South Africa

• Africa’ largest economy• Most productive farms• Largest diamond exporter• The only African country that is highly developed.• Most developed rail system with sizeable inter –

connecting routes.• 25% of the continent’s total trade while the rest make up 5

%

Agriculture

• Subsistence Farming is the prevailing type• Commercial farming and mining were not introduced

until colonialism• Many countries are dependent on one or two cash crops.• Livestock is raised in almost every country.• It is considered a measure of wealth.

Agricultural problems

• Little productive farmland• Unfavorable climate• Poor soil• Dense vegetation• Overuse of the land• Large plots of land used for growth of commercial crops

rather than food crops.

Crops

• Cash Crops:• Peanuts• Cacao• Cotton• Tea• Coffee: https://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIqwQdZutfw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEN4hcZutO0

• Crops to eat:• Sweet potatoes• Yams • Rice• Wheat• Plantains

Mining

• Major mineral producer• Provides half of the world’s diamonds• Bulk of minerals by South Africa, Dem. Rep. of the

Congo, Zimbabwe, and Zambia• Petroleum: Nigeria, Libya, and Algeria

Manufacturing

• The least developed of all continents• Development of hydroelectric power has been a step

toward industrialization• Most are Cottage Industries: small workshops, weaving,

handicrafts, leather working

Lack of progress

• Poverty• Lack of capital investment• Shortage of skilled workers• Political instability• Poor transportation systems

• LACK OF INFRASTRUCTURE

Fishing

• Africa’s potential fish catch is enormous, but most lack modern fleets and equipment so their catch is small.

Transportation

• Modern transportation is poorly developed

• Few railways, and they do not extend inland

• Paved roads are only in major cities• Used less because they are unusable

during rain• Water routes are used but there are

few natural harbors, and many rapids• Inefficient air lines• Radio is the most popular form of

mass communication• Fastest growing cellular phone market

in the world.http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2011/jul/24/uganda-mobile-phone-development-video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkpBcFDjk7Y

Digital Dumping Ground

Trade

• Most important trading nations: South Africa and Nigeria• Petroleum ranks as their major export• Food imports are important because of the failure of

agricultural output.

Rural vs Urban

• What does Rural mean?

• What does Urban mean?

Fastest Growing African cities

African city facts

• Much of the growth of cities this century will take place in Africa, particularly sub-Saharan Africa.

•  Already the region has about 200 million people living in slums, the highest number in the world.

• by early 2040, a billion people alone are expected to live in the continent’s cities.

• Staggeringly, by 2030, the continent will no longer be majority rural, a projection which is due in part to agricultural reform and more economic opportunity in cities. In fact, urbanization is happening faster in Africa than in anywhere else in the world.

More Facts

• Africa is also experiencing less of a “brain drain” and more of a “brain gain” than it has in recent years.

• Many of Africa’s major cities are coastal.• “The West African coastline is retreating by between 20m

and 30m every year,”  according to a recent BBC News story, due to Global Warming.

• it will be key for cities to figure out how to handle rapid urban expansion and much-needed economic growth, while creating more environmentally-friendly cities and reducing their carbon footprint at the same time.

Lagos, Nigeria

Johannesburg, South Africa

Cape Town, South Africa

Slums of Nairobi, Kenya

60% of Africans live in Slum Conditions

Dar esalaam

Kenya

• Kenya is suffering from overpopulation. There is not enough farmland available to feed the growing number of people. 

• one of the highest rates of population growth in the world. According to the latest census, 44 percent of the population is under  the age of 15.

• The number of unemployed youths could rise to 14 million in the next two years.

• “We cannot live here any more,” says a Samburu shepherd as he points to pastures in northern Kenya in which every blade of green has been eaten bare. “There are too many animals and too many people. 

Rural Africa

• Poverty in Africa is predominantly rural. More than 70 per cent of the continent’s poor people live in rural areas and depend on agriculture for food and livelihood, yet development assistance to agriculture is decreasing.

• Lack of organization and infrastructure make it difficult to get to markets.