ERIC KASHAMBUZI

What factors are responsible for the poor economic performance in Sub-Saharan Africa? Is it geography that isolated Africa from the civilizing influence of the rest of the world or the climate, soils and diseases that have sapped the energies of the African people? Is it the culture that has undermined Africa's technological advancement? Is it the "exploding" population that consumes more than it produces, damages the environment and causes poverty in the process? Is it the integration of Africa as a weak partner in the international economy and the exploitation of her resources and people since the days of the slave trade, or is it a combination of all these?

Eric Kashambuzi has analyzed in a historical and integrated manner the challenges of development, drawing on his vast experience in the political economy of Sub-Saharan Africa and his varied academic background. With a view to finding a common theme that explains Africa's poor performance in all areas of human endeavor, the author has examined critically the issues of food insecurity, population growth, external debt, geography, climate, soils, diseases, education and land use to determine the extent to which each may have undermined African development.

His conclusions are inescapable and his prognosis for the future of Africa merits the attention of every serious student of world economy and politics.

Publisher: Rivercross Publishing, Incorporated; Pub. Date: June 1997; Format: Hardcover, 200pp
ISBN: 0944957919; ISBN-13: 9780944957912