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Friday, September 19, 2025

10 Ways the West Exploits Africa’s Wealth

Africa is often described as “rich land, poor people.” The paradox is striking: a continent overflowing with resources, yet trapped in cycles of poverty and dependency. This isn’t by accident—it’s the outcome of deliberate systems that keep Africa at the bottom of the global value chain. From cocoa farms to oil rigs, from financial systems to technology, the West continues to exploit Africa’s wealth while limiting its growth. Here are ten real-world examples:


1. Cocoa in Ghana & Côte d’Ivoire

Together, these nations produce over 60% of the world’s cocoa. Yet, they earn less than 6% of the $120+ billion global chocolate industry because most profits come from processing and branding in Western and Asian companies. When Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire tried to set a minimum price in 2019 to protect farmers, Western buyers resisted.
👉 Lesson: Africa is kept as a raw-material supplier instead of a value-added producer.


2. Oil in Nigeria

Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer, exports crude oil but imports most of its refined fuel from Europe. Years of IMF policies and Western corporate influence discouraged building strong local refineries. As a result, Nigeria spends billions importing what it should be producing.
👉 Lesson: Dependency on Western refining keeps profits flowing out of Africa.


3. CFA Franc in West & Central Africa

Fourteen African countries still use the CFA franc, a colonial-era currency pegged to the euro and managed by the French Treasury. This system restricts financial independence and forces African states to hand over reserves to France.
👉 Lesson: Colonial financial chains still shackle African sovereignty.


4. Rare Earths in the DRC

The Democratic Republic of Congo supplies 70% of the world’s cobalt, powering electric cars and smartphones. Yet, Congolese communities remain poor while Western and Chinese companies dominate mining. Attempts to tax or nationalize resources are met with external pressure and destabilization.
👉 Lesson: Africa’s resource wealth is extracted, while its people remain trapped in poverty.


5. Kenya & Agriculture

Kenya faces high tariffs when exporting finished products like packaged tea or processed coffee, but raw materials enter Western markets cheaply. This keeps African farmers stuck at the bottom of the value chain.
👉 Lesson: Trade rules are designed to protect Western industries, not African progress.


6. Debt Dependency – Zambia

Zambia borrowed heavily for infrastructure and defaulted in 2020. Creditors—Western and Chinese alike—imposed harsh repayment conditions, crippling the country’s ability to invest in development. Debt has become a chain binding African nations.
👉 Lesson: Debt ensures foreign creditors come before African citizens.


7. Aid Dependency – Ethiopia

Ethiopia produces enough food, yet much of its fertile land is leased to foreign agribusinesses for export crops. Meanwhile, aid dependency narratives portray it as helpless. Western aid often comes with conditions that prioritize foreign interests.
👉 Lesson: Aid is often a tool of influence, not empowerment.


8. South Africa & Pharmaceuticals

During the HIV/AIDS crisis, South Africa tried to produce affordable generics, but Western pharmaceutical giants fought back with lawsuits to protect their patents. Thousands died while profits were preserved.
👉 Lesson: Profit came before African lives.


9. Libya and the Pan-African Dream

Before NATO’s 2011 intervention, Libya under Gaddafi was planning a gold-backed African currency to free trade from the dollar and euro. After the intervention and his assassination, the project collapsed, and Libya fell into chaos.
👉 Lesson: African moves toward financial independence are often sabotaged.


10. Technology & Digital Infrastructure

Africa’s internet, cloud storage, and payment systems rely heavily on Western companies. Even innovations like Kenya’s mobile money are often copied or acquired by global giants. Without major local investment, Africa risks staying a consumer, not a producer, in the digital age.
👉 Lesson: Control of technology means control of Africa’s future.


Conclusion: Breaking Free from Exploitation

From cocoa fields to high-tech infrastructure, Africa’s story has too often been one of exploitation, not empowerment. But this narrative will change. Africa will rise again. And we will bring to justice all of those who have exploited our land and oppressed our people. 

God bless Africa! 
God bless the world!

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