Ahoy! Africa as a continent is not poor. Yes, I said continent!
I started with this declaration because many people outside Africa think the second largest and second most populated continent- Africa, is one small country with forests, animals, blah blah blah. Give me a minute let me shock you. Africa is second to Asia in size with fifty-four independent countries, Africa has billionaires in dollars, Africa has the longest river in the world - The Nile, Africa has...heyy! They are too many, I can't name all but now you know the message I want to pass across.
Are you still not convinced that the black continent is not broke?
Let me run you through few reasons why you think so.
Standardization of global wealth indicators
Indicators like Peace index, GDP per capita, Peace Index, Ease of doing business, and much more are all misleading. According to businessdictionary.com, the word Poverty is defined as "the state of being inferior in quality or insufficient in amount." For this piece, I'll only consider GDP per capita. Do you know that you can actually live with $100 for two months in most countries in Africa? Yes, this is possible and you would not go hungry. Ths is not possible in places like the US where you can use $100 in one night. Let us zoom in closely into one of the 'poorest' country- Malawi. Its current GDP per capita is $200. This is $200/year by global standards. In reality, this is not a representation of most Malawese but everyone sees them as the 'most broke' people.
This piece is unfinished but I want you to start thinking of a better way to standardize wealth index. We can make this world a better place if we want to. Think of the young African who aren't expose to what the world has to offer. Think of those who think they are born in the most deplorable condition, imagine the magnitude of limitation global standards has placed on them.
Tell me in the comment what are your thoughts on this matter.
I have always wanted to visit cities in Africa to see this for myself and have new perspective. I'm not going to lie; I do think the country as a whole is poor. I live in California and that is our perception of Africa. But I found it interesting when I saw a show talking about Toms shoes and how it actually hurts businesses in Africa when they give away a pair of shoes to those in need for every shoe sold in the US. They interviewed an African citizen who said shoes are not a problem people have and is not in need. When they give away a pair of shoes it hurts anyone who is in the shoe business. They dive into the actual costs of making a shoe; giving a free pair away and profits. The entire business model is a scam thinking we are helping by buying and giving a free pair of shoes without thinking of the ripple consequences this has on their economy.
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Well said
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From someone living in South Africa: PREACH
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