Similarly, Kenya was once seen as a potential regional model and engine of change, partly because it has the ports and transportation needed to link African trade with the outside world. But political conditions there have steadily deteriorated, making it a symbol of the continent s failures. Militarily, about half the nations in sub-Saharan Africa are engaged either in open conflict or heated disputes, some with internal factions and some with neighboring states. The breakdown or deterioration of numerous governments has left vast swaths of Africa without any state presence. Much of Africa s most profitable business activity is illicit.
Corruption is the most pervasive problem, experts say.
The combination of political deterioration and vast mineral resources has prompted a new competition to divide up the continent s resources, exacerbating the economic challenges. This is the second scramble, only this time it s by the Africans themselves. Competition for Zimbabwe s rich farmland has led to violence and state seizure of white-owned farms. More than half of the continent s residents are younger than 15. But its school systems, from primary through university level, are rapidly deteriorating.