Significant Development Themes
Economic and human dimensions
In general, African countries tend to be characterized by relatively low incomes, slow economic growth, limited capital investment, high debt burdens, low levels of human development, and high rates of poverty. This situation is complicated by the enormous disparities that exist in living standards between core-urban and rural-peripheral regions. Certainly, there is much variation in economic growth and development across the continent. One strategy to strengthen area economies is to form partnerships between local and rural populations with national, regional and international organizations. Much work remains to be done, but progress is taking place.
Infrastructure
Much work is needed to establish a reliable network of transportation, communication, and digital technologies. Roads, railways, waterways, air transportation, and telecommunication networks need to be improved in some locations but do not even exist in other rural areas. Some people feel that "the physical divide is causing a digital divide." Is the answer to set up support systems in wireless, telecenters, and Internet cafes in Africa? Or will this approach only increase the divide between urban versus rural areas and the rest of the world.
Evolution of urban societies
In the Sub-Sahara, 34% of the population (~220 million people) resides in urban areas. The urban growth rates in this region are the highest in the world. At a rate of 2.5-3%, this is twice as high as population growth. African cities simply can't currently accommodate the needs of the increasing numbers in terms of housing, employment, education, security, and health care! The urban centers also need to design a strategy to reduce the flow of migrants to these areas, potentially though improvements in agricultural practices that make rural life more self-sustaining.
Gendered perspective
There exist numerous variations in government policies, economic conditions, cultural values, and attitudes towards women across the African continent that can't be generalized. Historically, one can trace the inequalities, especially with the roles rural women have in sustaining the household economy. African women have never remained passive in the face of patriarchal domination or imperial domination, yet their dynamism, resistance, struggles, and achievements are often underrepresented in written and visual accounts in the western hemisphere. Think for a moment... isn't the stereotypical representation of African women that of helpless mothers of dying children living in sparse conditions with little food and poor-quality water? This scenario is certainly not the general case. Africans greatly value the role of African women in society, and western gender perspectives vary greatly from those of Africans. Certainly you are encouraged to further explore individuals and organizations increasing the role of the females, such as the Wangari Maathai's Green Belt Movement in Kenya and the African Women Organization for Research and Development.
