Africa: the negative vision ...

• Africa represents 11% of the world-wide population (702.6 million of African). It only represents 1% of the Internet users.
• Africa accounts for only 1% of the world GDP. In Africa 32 countries out of 48 are classes poorest of the world. Some African countries have done important progresses in the last years, but the opportunities to fulfill the Objectives of the Millennium are little.
• Only they receive 0.6% of the external direct investment. It is that in Africa they need 18 billion dollars to create per annum investments necessary so to consolidate the economic growth necessary. In OECD those governments are inviting around 20% of P.I, 30% in much of country Asian, but 5% in Africa. The African investment is almost public.
• Its participation in the world-wide exports has diminished by 3.5% in 1970 to 1.4 at the end of 2002, which represents a loss of about 160 billions of dollars every year. In order to maintain the growth, the African countries must harness the regional markets (see NEPAD) as well as really accede to the globalization.
• One of the main obstacles whereupon is are the barriers (tariff and nontariff) and the subventions of the countries of the OECD. One of the main comparative advantages of Africa is agriculture, but near 325 billion USD that the countries of the OECD are spent in subventions to agriculture they cause that they lose great part of this advantage. This enormous amount is more or less equivalent to the GDP of all the African countries. Esteem that produces annual losses of 250 million USD to the cotton producers of the Africa of the West.
• Africa is remaining the margin of the globalization. With an average growth of the population of 3% per annum, it would be necessary to have an economic growth of 5% not to increase the number of the poor.
• The epidemic of the AIDS and the malaria makes devastations on the population. In Botswana, South Africa, Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland and Mozambique, around 30% of the population can be carrying the AIDS. The consequences are dramatic: orphans, lowers life expectancy (the townsmen cannot study, to save...) causing a fall of projects studies of trade or institutions...
• On average, civil wars in Africa made decreased the GDP of 2.2% annual.
• The generalized corruption is more endemic.
• The woman is much marginalized.
• Threats for Religion's clash...

Some reasons for more skeptics. To support the African development will conclude with ...

• New growthing and not saturated markets for the companies.
• Great opportunities of direct investment (FDI) exist if Africa were stable, democratic and with a middle-class developed good.
• Many African countries can be one alternative to the delocalization towards Asia.
• They can help to consolidate the Euro against Dollar.
• A real solution for immigration in Europe.
• "Democratic petroleum" (Nigeria, Guinea, Gabon) can be a geostrategic reason of vital importance for Europe.
• To restrain to a certain extent, the integrist movements of several sectors of the African Muslim population. Perhaps if the situation is not reversed, the "clash of civilizations" we will see in some countries
• It can prevent the development of a future "African integrism" (not related to the Islam, but to a possible "africanism").