Socioeconomic Status Relating to Poverty in Africa

Imagine if the world we lived in was a utopia-free from poverty, corruption, disease, and all of the many other things that ail us today. That's pretty hard to imagine since we see the imperfections that plague our world on a daily basis. In the world we live in, poverty is a reality, corruption exists, and people continue to suffer from countless illnesses and diseases. Africa is one nation at that stands out at the forefront of this unfortunate reality. One of the causes for the worsening conditions in African nations, specifically South African Nations, is the poor social and economic status throughout these nations. Despite billions of dollars in foreign aid being invested in Africa, there has been absolutely no advancement in many Sub-Saharan and South African nations. These nations continue to get worse and many believe that this is due to corruption within Africa. With all of the money that goes into Africa, there is no reason why there shouldn't be a rouse in the social and economic development. "Africa is one of the world's richest continents in natural resources, but one of the poorest in terms of human poverty"-if the people living there were able to utilize their own resources they might be able to build a more resourceful nation (Dudley, 16). Just thinking about that fact alone makes me believe that there is no reason why Africa shouldn't be flourishing. If corrupt political leadership is the reason for the complete lack of development and progressing state of poverty of these South and Sub-Saharan African nations, then a political reform is certainly necessary.

I think that after years of receiving foreign aid, there should be no reason why Africa is the only nation where the drastic poverty condition is expected to get worse. If they weren't receiving any help then it would be understandable as to why they aren't advancing socially or economically. The fight for a secure economy is a political one. The widespread misery and problems existing in Africa today can only be resolved under the law. "Governments can benefit from public participation in assessing the causes of existing problems, in identifying and debating alternative solutions, and in implementing appropriate strategies" (Dudley, 27). In many African nations, the government controls all of the economic aspects-trade, agriculture, industries, factories, etc. For this reason, many say that politics has intruded into all areas of human activity, encouraging corruption by the political leaders. These leaders believe they have a right to defraud the people rather than serve them and that is simply not right. Political leaders should have the best interest of their constituents at heart instead of their own personal gain. It should pain them to see their country practically headed for ruins while they are fattening their own individual pockets.

In Africa, three of the basic economic rights are food, healthcare, and education. In order to provide for these basic economic rights, "both absolute economic growth and equitable distribution of key resources, especially land, are needed" (Howard, 60). Food in Africa is supposed to be distributed equally; however, with the income distribution being uneven, the rich can buy more food than the poor. In the southern nation of Zambia, with a population of just under ten million-most who earn less that one thousand dollars per year-report that "famine is not caused by a lack of food, but by poverty" (Mekay, 1). The African poor are suffering from extreme dietary deficiencies, which is why many of the people there, especially the children, are suffering from malnutrition. These people are literally starving to death in some areas and with all the food the world has no one should be going hungry. In eastern African nations (Ethiopia and Eritrea), southern African nations (Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Lesotho, Mozambique, and Swaziland), and western African nations (Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Mauritania), more than thirty four million people will be facing food insecurities in the coming months (Mekay, 1). If food was distributed as needed instead of the rich having the advantage to get more, there wouldn't be so many people starving. Those living in poverty aren't able to afford much food at all. Think of the commercials shown on television that show kids wearing a little more than rags with tears streaming down their cheeks and their malnourished stomachs bloated from the effects of starvation. Think of the hurt shown in their eyes as many of them are left to care for themselves the best way they can because they've lost their parents to disease. We may say something along the lines of "Oh that's so sad," before turning the channel but the problem is still there after we turn the channel. It's still there after we turn off the television itself.

Lack of a proper diet leads to many health problems and of course the poor people aren't receiving adequate healthcare. "Over fifty percent of the population has no ready access to health services, and this figure is increasing. More than four million African children die every year before they reach the age of five" (Chimutenwende, 2). And as far as education is concerned, the poor cannot afford it. If a person can't afford to feed their starving family, I'm pretty sure they can't afford to buy books and uniforms for school. South African Minister of Education Naledi Pandor says "massive educational deprivation continues to plague sub-Saharan Africa. Boys are pressured into dropping out of school to earn money for their families, while pregnancy is the main reason girls leave school" (South African Press Association, 1). It's a shame for a country to recognize three basic economic rights, yet they can't ensure that the people living there will have these basic rights. If they can't provide basic economic rights it's no wonder why the country is in the state it is in now.

It is argued that "an understanding of the class structure of contemporary Commonwealth Africa is crucial to any analysis of the presence or absence of human rights" (Howard, 119). There cannot be success in the economic right to development unless those who will be affected by the developing policies have the chance to give their input on the choices being made, making suggestions and criticisms on what they would and wouldn't like to see happen. Political rights have to be taken just as seriously as economic rights. The working poor, women, ethnic minorities, and even ordinary people should have the right to express and present their views on what they think would be necessary for political, social, and economic advancement. Within the politics of ideology of many of the mentioned African nations, "each of the governments has been absorbed in its own local apparatus of control like a captive who makes his prison cell his world" (Austin, 79). The people under the control of these governments basically have no say in what goes and what doesn't. They can only go as far as the government will let them. Each government has its own way in services of trade, banking, and communication. Although many citizens oppose the way their governments are run, they have no choice but to follow its policies. As in just about every other country, it is these people lower down on the social and economic chain who continue to make the rich richer while they continue on in a state of poverty. It's not fair that they aren't given the same rights or any opportunities for their own advancement up the social ladder. It appears as though the system is built to keep those who are down right where they are while those who are rich are continuing to climb.

"Africa is listed as the most difficult place in the world to do business." This explains why many businessmen aren't jumping at the chance to get involved with the African economic market (The Economist, 80). Most outside countries are hesitant to get involved with business in Africa. They look around and see the obvious state of destruction and they aren't at all confident in the advancement of these African businesses. With all of the risks involved in investing in a country with poor socioeconomic status, it's not a surprise why these investors would rather take their money elsewhere. Many businessmen believe that you get punished rather than rewarded for investing in poor nations such as Africa. As for African entrepreneurs, many believe that operating legal businesses are too much of a hassle with too few benefits. "As a result of this, forty two percent of the regions economy is informal, the highest proportion in the world" (The Economist, 80). In Malawi, only fifty thousand people out of a population of over twelve million have formal jobs. The rest of the working population have do illegal work or run illegal businesses. I believe another reason majority of these citizens don't have formal jobs is due to the lack of a good education. Many probably feel like they don't have many other opportunities so they are providing for themselves and their families the best way they know how.

Since the weak governments aren't able to provide education and healthcare, those who do invest in these African businesses are often taken for granted. Those living in poverty are just looking to make a way for themselves and don't always realize that they are being taken advantage of. When they get the opportunity to work, they are going to work to get whatever money they can get, regardless of how little the amount. Only a few elite will benefit. Economic reforms "need to make life easier not just for large foreign companies, but also for small ones. Better links with the local private sector would also help spread the benefits of foreign investment" (The Economist, 80). Before investors can be confident in investing in Africa, Africa will have to prove itself through years of reform that result in advancement.

Looking at some of the actions the governments in Africa have been taking, a successful reform isn't in clear sight. Governments in Africa are "waging judicial terrorism against journalist to try to control what they print or broadcast" (Mulama, 1). This "judicial terrorism" is the government's tight political control of the judiciary in efforts to control the economy. However, "political instability has accompanied economic decline in much of Africa and the unrest and upheaval threatens to bring about political and social chaos" (Ungar, 443). The governments are trying to silence political corruption that is being revealed through any media outlet. "A controversial law passed in 2002, the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), requires all journalists and media outlets to register with a government controlled Media and Information Commission" (Mulama, 1). It seems to me that if the African governments didn't have anything they wanted to hide then there wouldn't be a need to censor the media. This censorship makes the government appear to be corrupt and in efforts to keep the political corruption under wraps, they are controlling and punishing those who can expose or reveal them. If a journalist doesn't comply with the AIPPA, they face jail time. These African governments know that the only way some people know what's going on concerning the politics of their nation is through the media outlets and that is why they are trying to silence them. There has even been implication that the government tends to amend the AIPPA "in a bid to further cripple press freedom and gag the private media" (Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, 1). The government realizes that the private media has a significant influence on shaping the publics opinion which is why they're trying so hard to stifle the information the media puts out for the people. So far about seventy journalists have lost their jobs and more than three hundred other workers in the media industry have faced the same fate. In Zimbabwe, fifty journalists from Associated Newspapers are awaiting trial for operating without licenses (Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, 1).

As corruption in Africa grows, the crooks are getting smarter and doing greater damage to Africa's economies-"sucking out resources meant for health, education, and clean water" (BBC News, 1). Suppose those who were responsible for the corruption of many African nations were exposed and Africa was able to rebuild and plan for a better tomorrow. If economic development was no longer stifled by corrupt political leaders, Africa could actually improve its socioeconomic status. "Africa needs a faster pace of trade liberalization that would enhance the efficiency of domestic producers and help it integrate more fully into the world economy" (Dudley, 17). Reforms in African governments would help Africa to develop its nations and obtain a foundation for a stable and productive environment. Economic recovery, though not easy, would be possible if leaders of African nations used foreign aid donations promoting the economic rights of food, healthcare, and education. We could see a drastic change in the situation of poverty in African nations. Picture the commercials showing happy, smiling African kids with enough food to eat and clothes to wear, rather than the heart wrenching ones we see now. A secure economic environment needs to be created so that individual citizens, not just government officials and those in power have an adequate amount of resources needed to maintain a productive and efficient life. "Ensuring economic security is critical for eliciting the participation of each and every individual in developing the nation" (Dudley, 23). This tells us that economic security should involve everyone living in these African nations. Governments shouldn't have complete control while citizens sit back and suffer the consequences of their corruption and mistakes. New leaders are needed to "embrace economic reform, re-establish political stability, and reduce human rights abuses" (Dudley, 123). Recognizing human rights in these impoverished sub-Saharan and South African nations is an important key on the road to socioeconomic recovery of these nations.

African countries must make the decision of whether or not they want to continue on the path of "stagnant economies and development, corruption within their governments, and ethnic conflicts or if they are ready to embrace market reforms, encourage domestic and foreign private investment, and compete in the global economy" (Dudley,17). It can be said that Africa is at a crossroads. It is time for them to decide if they want to continue along the path of destruction they've been on, or create a new vision where advancement is the ultimate goal. This decision needs to be made as soon as possible, the corruption needs to be exposed and put to an end, and Africa needs to pull itself up by its bootstraps and start on it's journey to socioeconomic freedom.

Sources Cited

Austin, Dennis. Politics in Africa. Board o Regents for Education, 1978.

BBC News. 2006. 2 January 2006. Http://news.bbc.co.uk.l/hi/world/arica/4511746.stm.

Chimutengwende, Chen. "Africa Should Resist Foreign Economic Exploiation." Africa. www.proquest.com.

Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition. 2004. 25 June 2004. http://www.kubatana.net/html/archive/legisl/040625ciz.asp?sector=LEGISL

Dudley, William. Africa: Opposing Viewpoints. Greenhaven Press, Inc., 2000.

The Economist. "The Flicker of a Brighter Future: Business in Africa." 9 September 2006.

Howard, Rhoda E. Human Rights in Commonwealth Africa. Rowman & Littlefield, Publishers, Inc., 1986.

Mekay, Emad. "U.S. Loans Spur African Famine." Food First/Institute for Food Development Policy. 2002. http://foodfirst.org/archive/media/news/2002/usloansafricanfamine.html

Mulama, Joyce. "Media-Africa: Africa Regimes Control the Press to Control the People." Global Information Network, 2006. 4 December 2002.

South African Press Association. "Massive Lack of Education Plagues Africa." 14 November 2005. http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=256522&area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__africa/

Ungar, Sanford J. Africa: The People and Politics of an Emerging Continent. Simon & Schuster, 1986.