World issues: Development in Africa: Video playlist

The continent of Africa is made up of 54 countries.

Those that lie south of the Sahara Desert are referred to as Sub-Saharan Africa.

This area contains some of the fastest growing economies in the world.

It’s home to over a billion people, and that’s increasing fast.

A large workforce, a rich supply of natural resources and increased foreign investment are all contributing to economic growth.

But African countries face many social, economic and political challenges to their development.

A lack of health infrastructure and trained doctors and illnesses, including malaria and HIV/AIDS makes many African countries vulnerable.

These illnesses have high mortality rates and can leave people unable to stay in work or education, resulting in low rates of production and economic growth.

In many African countries, women and girls are overlooked from aspects of education and health care.

If more girls were taught to the same level as boys and women had better health education and care, a huge potential workforce could be able to improve their own incomes while contributing to the economy.

Many countries in Africa have borrowed large amounts of money from other countries and corporations to develop their economy.

But often, when borrowed money is used to pay off more urgent debts, these countries are left with huge loans to pay and are unable to invest in industry, education, infrastructure and health care.

The unstable political conditions of some African countries can create further problems.

Conflict can put strains on medical services and cause a loss of life.

If people of working age are fighting wars, they’re unable to work or study.

Land is damaged, infrastructure destroyed and money is invested in weapons rather than development projects.

In these situations, people flee their homes or become expelled from their communities.

Agricultural production stops, economic progress is thrown into chaos and poverty increases.

Ethiopia, South Sudan and the Central African Republic are all countries that have recently faced armed conflicts and civil wars.

Many development issues are being made worse by climate change.

Devastating floods, intense heat waves and periods of drought can cause crop failures, which lead to food crisis and famine.

Climate change can also lead to population displacement and damage to vital infrastructure and services.

This increases pressure on the economies of African countries, which must try to balance the need for development with addressing these additional challenges.