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- Sierra Leone
Though Sierra Leone possesses substantial natural resources (including rich diamond mines), it remains one of the poorest nations in Africa. Sierra Leone was the site of a gruesome civil war between the government and the Revolutionary United Front during the years 1991 to 2002. This war left tens of thousands of people dead and displaced more than two million others (or about one third of the country's total population). The war also left Sierra Leone without a well-developed infrastructure, and as a result the social and economic systems in the country do not function well, creating a vast disparity of wealth in a country whose ample mineral and agricultural resources should be able to sustain a healthy population. A lack of foreign investment has made it difficult for bauxite and rutile mines to reopen in this post-civil war period, but national elections were held in May 2002, suggesting that the country is on its way to some sort of recovery, though Sierra Leone still relies on substantial economic aid from abroad. In this photo a miner in the Tongo Fields -- a prominent diamond mining area in Sierra Leone -- poses for the camera. Photo Credit: USAID Sources: CIA World Fact Book, www.migrationinformation.org
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- Zimbabwe
At independence in 1980, Zimbabwe was one of Africa’s most prosperous countries, and was considered the breadbasket of Africa. As recently as 1997, it was twice as rich as the median sub-Saharan country. But Zimbabwe now faces economic collapse with 70% unemployment, triple digit inflation, and massive shortages of basic necessities like food and fuel. The people of Zimbabwe now suffer from greater risk of famine than any other country in the drought-plagued southern Africa region. After a series of elections in the last few years widely believed to have been rigged, Mugabe has also secured his political stronghold on the country by restricting freedom of speech, freedom of the press, academic freedom, freedom of assembly, and harrassing supporters of opposition parties. Photo Credit: USAID Sources: CIA World Fact Book, www.migrationinformation.org
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- Nigeria
Nigeria is another example of a resource-rich African nation that has historically had a difficult time managing its commodities. After 16 years of military rule during which the country's petroleum-fueled economy was run into the ground, a new constitution was adopted in 1999. The country also experiences internal ethnic and cultural conflict largely between groups in the north verses groups in the south. Additionally, Nigeria is Africa's most populous country but the country's subsistence agriculture system has not been able to meet the needs of the ever-increasing population. The implementation of IMF programs in early 2002 did little to help, since the country was not able to meet its targeted exchange rate and debt-reduction goals. However, in 2003 and 2004 Nigeria has made strides toward adopting some of the goals set for the country by the IMF, resulting in growth of Nigeria's GDP. In this photo, members of a women's cooperative in Nigeria sift soybeans, which they will eventually sell as part of the USAID Farmer to Farmer program. Photo Credit: USAID Sources: CIA World Fact Book, www.migrationinformation.org
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- Sudan
A history of deep-seated civil war between the predominantly Muslim north and the largely Christian south has resulted in more than two million deaths and over four million displaced Sudanese in the last 20 years. The conflict in Sudan's Darfur region has resulted in the death of nearly 180,000 people and the displacement of some 2 million others, causing the United Nations to describe it as an extreme humanitarian crisis. Still, in the face of this extremely fractured political, cultural, and social climate, Sudan has, in recent years, been able to breathe new life into its struggling economy, thanks to implementation of IMF macroeconomic reforms. In 1999 Sudan recorded its first trade surplus, thanks in part to a revived oil industry, though agriculture still remains Sudan's most important sector. In this photo a camel powers an oil press in the city of Julud. Photo Credit: USAID Sources: CIA World Fact Book, www.migrationinformation.org
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- Democratic Republic of the Congo
Since 1997 the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been consumed by civil war, which was instigated by the influx -- in the mid-1990s -- of refugees from Rwanda and Burundi. Though now a provisional government remains tentatively in place, the civil war caused more deaths than any other conflict in African history, and more loss of life than any other war since World War II. The impact of the violence on the economy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo was vast. The country is endowed with plenty of resources, but as war escalated, output fell and foreign businesses curtailed operations. After the 2002 withdrawal of large contingents of foreign troops that had occupied the country, having taken sides in the civil war, the situation in the country stabilized. Currently governmental corruption threatens to undermine reforms, but activity in the mining sector has improved, renewing faith in the idea that Democratic Republic of the Congo's fiscal position will improve. In this photo a Congolese boy gives the camera a peace sign. Photo Credit: USAID Sources: CIA World Fact Book, www.migrationinformation.org
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- Rwanda
Rwanda has been plagued by internal strife virtually since it attained its independence from Belgium in 1959. For years in the 1960s the majority ethnic group known as the Hutus drove some 150,000 Tutsis (the primary minority ethnic group) into exile. In 1990 the descendents of these exiled Tutsis formed a rebel group known as the Rwandan Patriotic Front, which waged civil war against the ruling Hutus. Between the start of this war in 1990 and its culmination -- which was marked by the horrifying genocide of approximately 800,000 Tutsi and Hutu sympathizers -- Rwanda suffered severe economic destruction as a result of these extreme internal ethnic tensions. Considering the mass exodus of refugees out of Rwanda, the infrastructural damage, and the political implications of this conflict, Rwanda has shown great resiliency in terms of recovering from these past horrors. Poverty levels are still high, not all displaced refugees have returned home, and the Tutsis are seen as the politically dominant party, but presidential and legislative elections were peacefully held in 2003 and with some political stability, the country is making strides towards independence from foreign aid. In this photo members of a recycling program in Kigali, Rwanda, which focuses on cleaning neighborhoods while creating jobs, rest in the shade. Photo Credit: USAID Sources: CIA World Fact Book, www.migrationinformation.org
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- Kenya
Kenya serves as a hub for trade and financial transactions in East Africa, which means that it has traditionally escaped the severe economic stress endured by many of its fellow African nations. Kenya does not, however, enjoy the rich resources of some of those same nations who have suffered due to their inability to turn their riches into political, social, and economic stability. Kenya's economy is fueled by trade in small, low-priced goods, which keeps the economy from growing at an ideal rate. As a result, Kenya has been hampered by rampant corruption that further hinders economic growth. In 1997, for example, the IMF suspended aid to Kenya because of the Kenyan government's inability to successfully control corruption and keep the country moving forward. Following severe drought -- which wracked the entire East African area from 1999 to 2000 -- Kenya struggled to keep its GDP healthy and growing. In 2002 Kenya proved its ability to hold peaceful, fair elections and since 2003 the country has made progress in terms of rooting out political corruption. In this photo one of the country's many microfinance recipients tends to her recently acquired flock of chickens. Photo Credit: USAID Sources: CIA World Fact Book, www.migrationinformation.org
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- Botswana
Since gaining its independence from Britain in 1966, Botswana has transformed itself from one of the globe's 20 poorest countries into an African success story. As the fastest growing economy in the world, Botswana calls itself the "Gem of Africa". In addition to a significant cattle industry, thriving tourism, and significant foreign capital investment, Botswana is one of the only diamond-rich African nations that has taken advantage of its mineral wealth to fuel the country's expansion. In fact, Botswana is the world's largest producer of gem diamonds. The openness and stability of the country’s political system has also been a significant factor in Botswana's growth. It is Africa's longest continuous multi-party democracy and has been ranked as Africa's least corrupt country. On the downside, the government faces high rates of unemployment, officially at 23.8%. Problems of unequal distribution of wealth persist, with close to half of Botswana's citizens continuing to live under the poverty line. Illegal immigrants from Zimbabwe have been putting additional strain on the country. But Botswana’s biggest worry is the AIDS epidemic, with more than 1/3 of the population living with HIV/AIDS. In this photo, a Botswana guard and a Zimbabwean immigrant, separated by a fence at Botswana's Center for Illegal Immigration. Photo: Peter Hutchens/Still Life Projects. Sources: THE ECONOMIST, U.S. State Department, Southern Africa Migration Project (SAMP), UNDP
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- South Africa
Since the 1990s brought an end to apartheid in South Africa the country has flourished under black majority rule. It is now considered the most well-developed country in Africa. South Africa enjoys an ample supply of natural resources that have helped support the country's economy, and by extension its financial, social, and legal infrastructures. South Africa still endures a high rate of unemployment as well as misallocation of resources to underrepresented groups -- a problem left over from the apartheid era -- but the country's policies center around addressing rather than hiding from whatever lingering issues the country faces. In this photo a young South African child enjoys the luxury of clean, fresh water. Photo Credit: USAID Sources: CIA World Fact Book, www.migrationinformation.org
