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20 stark facts on AfricaHUNGER KILLS MORE PEOPLE IN AFRICA THAN ALL THE CONTINENT'S INFECTIOUS DISEASES PUT TOGETHER MORE THAN US$700bn (£432bn) IN TODAY'S MONEY HAS BEEN GIVEN TO SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA IN OVERSEAS AID IN THE LAST 50 YEARS ONLY 3.8% OF AFRICA'S WATER IS DEVELOPED ACCORDING TO A HASTILY WITHDRAWN REPORT BY THE AFRICAN UNION CORRUPTION COSTS AFRICA US$150bn (£100BN) EVERY YEAR ONLY 12% OF ROADS ARE PAVED A POUND OF COTTON CAN BE PRODUCED FOR 18c (12p) IN BURKINA FASO COMPARED TO 63c (42p) IN THE U.S. YET THE U.S. GOVERNMENT SUBSIDISES AMERCIAN COTTON FARMERS TO THE DETRIMENT OF SOME OF THE POOREST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD EVERY JOB CREATED IN AFRICA FEEDS TEN MOUTHS IT IS ESTIMATED THAT 60% OF THE WORLD'S NATURAL RESOURCES LIE IN AFRICAN SOIL AVERAGE LIFE EXPECTANCY IS 45 YEARS AND FALLING ONLY 4% OF MONEYS ALLOCATED IN AFRICAN BUDGETS GOES TO AGRICULTURE YET 75% OF THE POPULATION RELY ON FARMING TO INCORPORATE A BUSINESS IN MOZAMBIQUE TAKES 153 DAYS AND IN SIERRA LEONE IT COSTS 1250% OF AVERAGE INCOME IN THE 50 OR SO YEARS SINCE INDEPENDENCE ONLY ON 9 OCCASIONS ON THE MAINLAND OF AFRICA HAS A RULING PARTY LOST POWER FEWER THAN 10% OF AFRICANS HAVE A LEGAL TITLE TO THEIR OWN HOMES THE BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL CALCULATES THAT 23,000 DOCTORS AND NURSES LEAVE THE CONTINENT EVERY YEAR ACCORDING TO THE WORLD BANK ONLY 1 IN 6 PROJECTS FINANCED BY THE BANK IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA CONTINUE AFTER FUNDING STOPS IT WILL TAKE AN ESTIMATED 50 YEARS OF PEACE FOR THE PEOPLE OF THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO JUST TO GET BACK TO THE LIVING STANDARDS OF 1960 45,000 TEACHERS HAVE FOLLOWED 6,000 WHITE FARMERS OUT OF ZIMBABWE IN THE LAST DECADE LEAVING SCHOOLS THERE 30% SHORT OF TEACHING STAFF THE WORLD BANK HAS CALCULATED THAT ZAMBIA'S GROSS NATIONAL INCOME PER PERSON WOULD HAVE REACHED US$18,000 (£12,000) TODAY IF ALL OVERSEAS AID MONEY HAD BEEN PROPERLY INVESTED. INSTEAD IT IS ONLY US$900 - 5% OF WHAT IT COULD HAVE BEEN 90% OF POWER IN AFRICA IS GENERATED BY PARAFFIN, WOOD AND DUNG IN CHAD A MONEY CHASE WHICH FOLLOWED THE PAYMENT OF GOVERNMENT FUNDS TO A RURAL HEALTH CLINIC FOUND THAT ONLY 1% REACHED ITS INTENDED DESTINATION **************************************************************** The total area of Africa is 11,684,711 sq miles (22.3% of area of the world) of which 9,461,000 sq miles is represented by sub-Saharan Africa. Africa, in size, is roughly the same as that of the US, China, the EU and Australia - added together. Sudan is the largest country - almost 5 times the size of France. Total population of Africa is 952m (14.3% of world total) of which 795m live in sub-Saharan Africa. Total size of the economy of Africa is $1,159 bn (2.4% of world total) of which $760bn (1.6%) represents the total of sub-Saharan Africa. Of the sub-Saharan total of $760bn, South Africa represents $274bn or 36% of the total. 9 African countries have seen their economies, on average, contract between 2000 and 2005. The worst performer was Zimbabwe where living standards here are but a shadow of former times. |
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just1world@just1world.org |
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