Page 73 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 9

ECONOMY

supplies France with the uranium exportation of cocoa, while the biodiversity, Cameroon has one of
required to power up their nuclear chocolate industry, which depends the highest literary rates in Africa.
programme and power stations – on Ghana's cocoa beans, earns over However, its economic progress
generating almost 80% of France's 120 billion dollars annually. The has been hampered by corruption
electricity via an estimated 59 nu- average life expectancy for farmers and decades of authoritarian rule.
clear plants. One out of every three in Ghana is said to be 53 years. The bitter war in Cameroon is a
light bulbs that are lit in France is Ivory Coast, the world's largest co- battle for sovereignty between the
thanks to the uranium from Niger coa producer, a former colony until Francophone region, which was
republic. However, in Niger, nearly 'Independence' in 1960, has wres- formally a French colony, and the
90% of the population has no tled with civil unrest and increasing Anglophone region, which was
access to electricity. For France to poverty rates for years. In 2015, formally ruled by the British, and
keep growing, it must have un- poverty in the Ivory Coast was as forcefully merged together as one
hindered access to uranium from high as 46.3 percent. Ivory coast is country led and dominated by
Niger republic. also among the world's top exporter French-speaking Cameroonians.
of raw cashew nuts. In 2018, Ivory They have ruled the country in an
Over 70% of the world's cocoa is Coast was ranked 165 out of 189 authoritarian way since the unifi-
grown in Africa, which is exported. countries on the United Nations cation of the two former United
The world's chocolate business is Human Development Index. The Nations trusteeship territories
valued at over 120 billion dollars Ivory Coast continues to be the – French Cameroun and British
annually and is expected to grow world's largest producer of cocoa, Southern Cameroons – in 1961.
up to 170 billion dollars by 2024. with an estimated 2.12 million met- Cameroons current president, Paul
Yes, it is the cocoa from Africa ric tons for 2020's harvest. Biya, has been in power since 1982,
that powers the worlds profitable making him the second-longest-rul-
chocolate business. For the world to The top four countries responsible ing president in Africa (after Te-
keep enjoying chocolate and make for the manufacturing of chocolate odoro Obiang of Equatorial Guin-
money from it, it must have unhin- are the United States, Germany, ea), the longest-ruling non-royal
dered access to Africa's cocoa. For Switzerland, and Belgium. They are leader in the world, and the oldest
every 100 dollars that Africa makes also among the richest countries head-of-state in Africa, at 87 years
from the sales of cocoa, she gener- in the world, with an average life of age. His regime is supported by
ates at least 50,000 dollars, not for expectancy of 80 years. The more France, which supplies it with weap-
her people, but for the rest of the cocoa Ivory coast produces and ex- ons and trains its forces. France is
world. ports, the more the economy of the Cameroons' leading foreign inves-
rich countries grow. Good news, life tor, followed by the United States.
Ghana and Ivory Coast account for expectancy in Ivory increased from More than one hundred French
almost 70% of global cocoa bean 56 years in 2017 to 57 in 2019! companies are located in all key
exports. In 2019 alone Ghana ex- economic sectors of Cameroon (oil,
ported around 900,000 tons! Cocoa Cameroon's East region, with the timber, mobile telephony, trans-
farmers in Ghana receive 480 cedis North and far North, is the richest port, banking, insurance, mining
(86 euro) per bag, which amounts in forest and mining resources. etc.), with focus on exportation, not
to an annual income of 500 euros Ironically, it is also the poorest. manufacturing.
for one hectare. Ghana earns some Nicknamed 'the mini Africa'
2 billion dollars annually from because of its rich cultural and The story is the same all over Afri-
ca, from Nigeria to Kenya, Uganda,
Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mozambique,
Senegal, and others. The best way
out of this bondage is to have a
United people of Africa, who can
see through the man-made political,
economic and epistemic chains that
hinder their progress, and together
as one people, confront them. After
all, the greatest enemy of freedom
is a happy slave.

WWW.MSINGIAFRIKAMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 8 | NOV/DEC 2020 73