AFRICA

E. POLITICAL
BOUNDARIES
African boundaries were
very loosely defined. Borders
reflected the territories
inhabited and controlled by
different ethnic groups, and they
often changed over
time—generally as a result of
migration or conquest. Many
explorers arranged treaties with
African chiefs, claiming the land
for European rulers. Although
much of Africa remained
unknown and unexplored,
European competition for
territory increased with the
desire to gain control of mineral
resources and other riches from
the African interior.
Boundaries
in Africa
During this “Scramble for
Africa,” European countries tried
to acquire as much territory as
possible. The amount of
territory that each nation
actually colonized depended
largely on its power in Europe.
Britain, France, Germany, and
Italy, which were strong and
rising European forces,
ultimately controlled more land
in Africa than weaker countries
such as Spain and Portugal. As
a result of the “Scramble,” the
map of Africa changed from a
collection of loosely defined
ethnic territories into a series of
fixed colonial.
 Today, the boundaries that separate and define
Africa’s many nations are still based largely on the
lines drawn by Europeans. National borders often
divide members of ethnic groups or force
historical enemies to live together. In such areas,
people’s allegiance to he state is often challenged
by tribal and ethnic loyalties, and political unrest is
common.
How were most of the political
boundaries of Africa created?
 From the 1950's onwards Africa experienced
the collapse of the European Empires as
occupied territories emerged to become
independent states. However the transition was
not smooth. The departing Europeans drew
boundaries or used pre-existing ones which they
had defined as they had carved up Africa in the
preceding 300 years. These boundaries bore little
or no reality to where tribes and ethnic groups
lived or identified with . Rather they were drawn
so that European powers could continue to
politically and economically dominate and exploit
the emerging states' raw materials and natural
resources.
F. HEALTH AND
ENVIRONMENT
√ HEALTH
Health systems and primary
health care in the African
Region
A weak national health
system can be viewed as an
important contributor to
poverty and inequity in the
African Region. Persons who
are in poor health less
frequently move up and more
frequently move down the
social ladder than healthy
persons. The role of the health
system becomes particularly
relevant through the issue of
access to preventive and
curative health service.
ENVIRONMENT
Environmental issues in Africa
African environmental
issues are caused by
anthropogenic effects on the
African natural environment and
have major impacts on humans
and nearly all forms of endemic
life. Issues include
desertification, problems with
access to safe water supply,
population explosion and fauna
depletion. These issues are
ultimately linked to over-
population in Africa, as well as
on a global scale. Nearly all of
Africa's environmental problems
are geographically variable and
human induced, though not
necessarily by Africans.
G. LIVELIHOOD AND SLAVE
TRADING
LIVELIHOOD
"Africa Rising", declared the
cover story of The Economist of
3rd Dec 2011. The question is
whether a rising Africa will take
Africans out of the clutches of
poverty caused by low
agricultural productivity, little or
no vocational skills, and
massive financial exclusion.
There is no surety, however that
the double digit growth rate will
make a difference in the lives of
the poor, for growth is not
always inclusive. To ensure that
growth benefits the poor more
than just through trickle-down,
efforts have to be made on the
demand side, building capacity
of and organizing the poor.