There are many reasons that could explain underdevelopment in Sierra Leone, and for that matter in many African countries with shared experiences and similar backgrounds. The eleven-year civil conflict in Sierra Leone resulted in a large scale devastation of the economy, and of basically everything else in the country. The conflict has been perceived as the most important cause of poverty and underdevelopment in the country today. However, a civil conflict doesn’t just simply boil up out of nowhere. Which is why natural resources comes to the matter. Natural resources have always played a vital role in the economy of various countries in Africa within the international arena. It linked countries like Sierra Leone, into an interdependency, that
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Because natural resources provide the means of gaining an upper hand in the trade of the goods, they therefore also are a source of power. This paper tried to prove that the intervention of international powers in developing countries, because of natural resources, leads to conflicts that ultimately aggravates the underdevelopment in countries in Africa. When it comes to recommendation policies, it would be irrational to create a policy that would block foreign influence in African countries, also because it would probably signify an end to the aid influx that comes from most of these countries to Africa. Rational would be investing in education and social programs in order to improve the population’s opportunities and reduce their vulnerability to poor living conditions. In the long-run, consistent investment in education will form a better equipped generation with potential to lead the country to better conditions. A country like Sierra Leone, with better educated and better prepared future politicians, would be in a better position to avoid any kind of unfairness, which comes from economically more powerful countries. In an idealistic society, the developed countries shouldn’t usurp underdeveloped ones, however history teaches us through colonialism how that doesn’t work. In that case, countries like Sierra Leone, must prevent usurpation by preparing themselves and investing in their people to create a functional society, with
Because natural resources provide the means of gaining an upper hand in the trade of the goods, they therefore also are a source of power. This paper tried to prove that the intervention of international powers in developing countries, because of natural resources, leads to conflicts that ultimately aggravates the underdevelopment in countries in Africa. When it comes to recommendation policies, it would be irrational to create a policy that would block foreign influence in African countries, also because it would probably signify an end to the aid influx that comes from most of these countries to Africa. Rational would be investing in education and social programs in order to improve the population’s opportunities and reduce their vulnerability to poor living conditions. In the long-run, consistent investment in education will form a better equipped generation with potential to lead the country to better conditions. A country like Sierra Leone, with better educated and better prepared future politicians, would be in a better position to avoid any kind of unfairness, which comes from economically more powerful countries. In an idealistic society, the developed countries shouldn’t usurp underdeveloped ones, however history teaches us through colonialism how that doesn’t work. In that case, countries like Sierra Leone, must prevent usurpation by preparing themselves and investing in their people to create a functional society, with