AFRICAN CHALLENGES IN ACHIEVING GLOBALIZED ECONOMIES: FROM A TROUBLED PAST TO A PATH FORWARD

Abstract

Africa has a long and troubled history. The roots of many of the current struggles faced by Africans were placed in their continent's difficult past. The lasting effects of slavery, unequal trade, and colonialism have impeded the advancement of government, education, socio-economic structures, and technology. Decades after the continent's independence movements, many African states are in disadvantaged positions within the global marketplace, or absent from it altogether. This thesis will examine the historical evidence of a deprived continent and conclude that exploitation by colonization, absence of resource diversification, and lack of effective leadership have created a conflict-filled region that struggles to integrate into global markets. Despite its past, there are still prospects for achieving a greater presence in the globalizing economies of the world but Africans cannot achieve this alone.