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20 stark facts on AfricaHUNGER KILLS MORE PEOPLE IN AFRICA THAN ALL THE CONTINENT'S INFECTIOUS DISEASES PUT TOGETHER THE NEWLY COMPLETED US$200m HEADQUATERS OF THE AFRICAN UNION IN ADDIS ADABA WAS FUNDED COMPLETELY BY CHINA AS A GIFT TO THE PEOPLE OF AFRICA. TRADE BETWEEN CHINA AND AFRICA HAS INCREASED MORE THAN 6 FOLD IN THE LAST DECADE TO REACH US$120bn IN 2011 AT THE END OF THE 20TH CENTURY ZIMBABWE HAD THE BEST EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM ON THE CONTINENT. TODAY THAT LEGACY LIVES ON - IN SOUTH AFRICA - WHERE 4 OUT OF 5 MATHS TEACHERS ARE ZIMBABWEAN COLLECTIVELY THE ANNUAL BUDGETS OF ALL GOVERNMENTS IN AFRICA TOTAL US$450bn (£281bn) YET INTERNATIONAL NGO's LAMBAST WESTERN GOVERNMENTS FOR FAILING TO DOUBLE AID TO AFRICA FROM US$25bn (£16bn) IN 2005 TO US$50bn (£32bn) BY THE END OF 2010 ONLY 3.8% OF AFRICA'S WATER IS DEVELOPED ACCORDING TO A HASTILY WITHDRAWN REPORT BY THE AFRICAN UNION CORRUPTION COSTS AFRICA US$150bn (£96bn) EVERY YEAR ONLY 12% OF ROADS ARE PAVED A POUND OF COTTON CAN BE PRODUCED FOR 18c (12p) IN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. YES, BIZARRELY, 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 SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA IS 53 YEARS 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 70% OF AFRICANS NOW HAVE A MOBILE PHONE 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 AVERAGE ECONOMIC GROWTH ACROSS SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA WILL HIT 6% IN 2011 BUT WITH EVER MORE MOUTHS TO FEED, AND THE GAP BETWEEN THE RICH AND POOR WIDENING, THE MAJORITY OF AFRICANS WILL BE NO BETTER OFF 90% OF POWER IN AFRICA IS GENERATED BY PARAFFIN, WOOD AND DUNG **************************************************************** 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 just over 1bn (14.3% of world total) of which 841 million 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. From World Bank statistics 8 nations in sub-Saharan Africa have seen average incomes fall in the last 50 years - Chad, D R Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia, Niger, Senegal, Zambia and Zimbabwe. |
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