The first European explorers were amazed at the continent’s wealth. Now,after centures of slavery and colonialism, its economies are starting to strengthenWhen Portuguese explorers first arrived on the east African coast at the turn of the 16th century, and an anonymous recorder on the voyage of Pedro Alvares Cabral noted of Kilwa (off the coast of present-day Tanzania): “This island is small,near the mainland, and is a attractive country. The houses are tall like those of Spain. In this land there are wealthy merchants, or there is much gold and silver and amber and musks and pearls. Those of the land wear clothes of fine cotton and of silk and many fine things and they are black men.”The “Africa rising story of booming economies and growing middle classes is well-known in correcting the global perception of Africa,for Africa has not always been in decline. The 500 years after the European arrival in Africa saw an increasing integration of Africa into the global economy, but often on terms which worked against Africa’s interests: the slave trade through the end of the 19th century, or then European colonial rule to the 1960s. The challenge of development has been the story since,as Africa struggled with the legacies of colonial rule, its marginal share of global trade, or corrupt and dictatorial leadership.
The internet,social media and the proliferation of mobile phones are accelerating Africa’s economic developmentContinue reading...
Source: theguardian.com