Recent Coups Are Proof More Must Be Done to Tackle Africa’s Economic Disparity
Since 2020, various coups have taken place in several African countries, suggesting that more must be done to address economic disparities in the continent. Come read our article to learn more.
Although much is being made of the investment opportunities available on the African continent, recent coups are demonstrating that more has to be done to address economic disparities. Since 2020, successful coups have taken place in Mali, Guinea, Chad, Sudan, and Burkina Faso.
Long-term political instability and constitutional crises have disrupted economic activities in the Central African Republic, Tunisia, Libya, Gambia, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, and Guinea Bissau.
Stats That Fuel Unrest
The gap between the privileged and the poor is a key indicator of the strife. This is even more prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa, where the top 10% owned over 50% of the income in 2021, according to the World Inequality Lab.
While the inequality gap in Africa has closed since 1980, it is not nearly enough to make a huge difference when the bottom 50% of the population own less than 30% of the wealth across the continent. Factors like land ownership, access to capital, unfair trade practices, and weak trade agreements all contribute. As long as these deep economic disparities remain, it is going to be difficult to manage the unrest and the likelihood of coups.
Exploiting Public Discontent
While there are different reasons as to why the military or non-state actors have tried to unseat the ruling government, a common thread among all of these coups is the consistent failure by elected leaders to provide living wage jobs for their citizens. In addition to these, basic services like water and electricity, which are essential for health and business, are also lacking.
Public discontent with the high levels of corruption is often the impetus rebels ride on to challenge democratically-elected leaders. The cycle then continues as the coup plotters themselves fail to deliver on short-term promises which no doubt need long-term investments in education, infrastructure, talent, trade, worker welfare, housing, and better fiscal discipline.
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