The printed image in the minds of many people regarding Africa reflects its diversity, natural richness, and culture, but at the same time, it also highlights significant challenges like poverty, lack of infrastructure, and environmental issues, making it a continent of contradictions and missed opportunities.

Africa holds 8% of the world's fossil fuel reserves and 12% of natural gas reserves. It is home to over 50% of the world's oil and mineral wealth, including 95% of the world's diamonds, 65% of gold, 90% of platinum, and more than 25% of uranium.

Originally an agricultural continent, Africa possesses 65% of the arable land on Earth and 10% of renewable freshwater resources. Yet, it still faces issues of inadequate access to clean drinking water, and over half a million children under the age of five die each year due to malnutrition.

These statistics are astonishing and perplexing, raising a crucial question: why haven't these resources translated into prosperity for African countries, which are often considered the poorest and least developed globally?

for example, Nigeria, a nation rich in oil and gas resources and a member of OPEC, but where the daily income of around 70% of its African citizens doesn't exceed one dollar.

In Zambia, despite its wealth in natural resources such as copper, cobalt, zinc, lead, coal, gold, silver, uranium, and gemstones, 70% of the rural population lives below the poverty line. This raises the pressing issue of how to harness and distribute Africa's abundant resources for the benefit of its people.

The failure of Africa to benefit from its resources can be attributed to multiple factors, including ineffective resource utilization, government corruption, inadequate infrastructure, environmental challenges, the historical legacy of colonization and slavery in Africa, which has left long-lasting impacts on the continent's economy and politics.

One of the most significant factors leading these countries into the abyss of poverty is government corruption and a lack of strategic planning. Corruption leads to the wastage of resources, reduced opportunities, and negatively impacts public trust in governments. Additionally, the absence of effective strategic planning has played a substantial role in hindering the progress of many African nations. This deficiency results in the proliferation of weak infrastructure problems and ineffective resource allocation. The outcome is short-term, myopic decisions that lack a long-term vision and sustainable impact, hampering comprehensive development and perpetuating the cycle of poverty and underdevelopment in these countries. To achieve greater progress, these nations must develop better strategies and direct resources and efforts more effectively toward achieving sustainable development and well-being for their citizens.