In almost every country there are people who live in fear of poverty, and most of them work hard to avoid poverty, even in the poorest countries in Africa. Unfortunately, hard work in this poor African country is not enough to escape the desperate reality of poverty.
Here's why people in the 10 countries face big barriers to escaping poverty: We rank these countries according to their GDP per capital (gross domestic product) divided by the country's total output divided by the number of people living in that country.
1; Burundi
GDP $727,GNI $210
What will be the poorest countries in Africa in 2022? Unfortunately, Burundi are always on the poor list of africa. Burundi will make almost every list of "Africa's 20 Poorest Countries" over the past 50 years. Like its neighbor Rwanda, Burundi went through the turbulent period of the 1990s, witnessing the genocide of ethnic Tutsis by large numbers of Hutus. Like its neighbor Rwanda, Burundi is small, inland, densely populated and devoid of natural resources. However, Burundi's economy is only a fraction of that of neighboring Rwanda. Why? Both countries are undemocratic, but Rwanda has a working government and the rule of law. The lack of legal investment protection prevents businesses from coming to Burundi to turn their volunteer work into income. And the large gap between GDP and GNI suggests that many non-citizen charities make up the bulk of the workforce.
2; Republic of Central Africa
GDP $823, GNI $150
The Central African Republic has endured decades of religious violence and civil war. For almost 20 years, the central government controlled only the capital, and in 2013, the rebels also took control of the capital. Central Africans were expelled from the refugee camps after being evicted from their homes. Since 2016, UN peacekeepers have stabilized the country and the World Bank has invested in small business development, but the economy has been paralyzed by lawlessness, disease and a lack of infrastructure.
3;Democratic Republic of Congo
GDP$843 GNI $550
The extraction of rare earth metals, necessary for the production of electric vehicles and mobile phones, is the greatest potential and concern of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This vast equatorial rainforest country has been the world's leading supplier of cobalt since 1908. they provided the high quality uranium ore that the United States used to make the atomic bomb during World War II. Although the US capital continued to operate its mines in the 2000s, it recently sold its mining rights to a Chinese conglomerate.
The average Congolese has neither citizenship nor the right to work and has no choice but to do very little work. The volume of production in the country is mainly controlled by the mining industry.
4;Somalia
GDP $888 GNI $310
Somalia has become synonymous with violence, lawlessness and extreme poverty. About 43% of the population lives on less than a dollar a day, and the main branch of the country's economy is animal husbandry. In recent years, however, conditions have stabilized enough for foreign companies to invest in Somalia as producers of halal meat for consumption in neighboring countries, bringing living standards back to early 1990s levels. Most countries live off remittances sent by foreigners from Somalia.
5;Niger
GDP $1213 GNI $540
In 2021, Niger saw its first peaceful transfer of power with the inauguration of its President, Mahomed Bazoum. Unfortunately, the newly consolidated state was caught between the armies of the Islamic State and Boku Haram. And the United Nations Development Index ranks Niger as the world's poorest country, experiencing a simultaneous birth boom and chronic drought that puts more than 2 million of its citizens at risk of starvation. According to the United Nations, even in a good year, Niger will not be able to feed itself.
6; Malawi
GDP $1234 GNI $500
More than 70 percent of Malawians earn less than the UN poverty wage of US$1.90 per day. Another thing that adds to this reality is this: Most workers in Malawi work in agriculture, which is affected by increasingly frequent droughts and floods. The farmers are too poor to buy tractors and fertilizers. The World Bank estimates that small 0.8 acres (0.3 hectares) of small farms in Malawi produce only 11 to 18 percent of their potential yield. To make matters worse, Malawi's sole majestic Lake Chilwa has largely dried up, leaving 7,000 fishermen unemployed.
7; Mozambique
GDP $1331 GNI $460
There is some income in Mozambique, but the $871 difference between GDP and GNI indicates that it doesn't go to Mozambique. Mozambique has invited troops from other African countries to fight an Islamist insurgency so it can focus on recovering from the theft of $2 billion in loans meant to shore up its fragile economy. On a positive note in Mozambique: Mozambican elephant herds have mutated so that newborn elephants have no tusks and are not killed by poachers.
8;Liberia
GDP $1413 GNI $530
Liberia was founded in 1820 as a haven for former American slaves. It grew out of a terrible civil war led by women rebuilding schools, hospitals, and roads that were destroyed during the battle. But the Ebola outbreak in 2014 and the end of an international aid program in 2017 left the country facing significant economic challenges.
9; South Sudan
GDP $1420 GNI $1090
10; Sierra Leone
GDP $1608 GNI $1670
Like its neighbor Liberia, Sierra Leone has been ravaged by civil war and the Ebola epidemic. Unlike Liberia, Sierra Leone is also affected by natural disasters, especially landslides. About 2/3 of the population is engaged in subsistence agriculture and growing rice. However, Sierra Leone is one of the few poorest countries in Africa that has a GNI higher than GDP. Sierra Leonean expats managed to send large sums of money to their families who are still in the country.
Every poor country in Africa needs judicial reform. It is generally accepted that other issues can be resolved more easily by ensuring stable governance and the rule of law while fighting corruption. Africa's 20 poorest countries still have a long way to go, but there is hope that legal and economic reforms can give them the stability they need to tackle environmental challenges.