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Matt Sproule
A3 Global Studies
Mr. Emmons
2/29/2016
Successful Governments in Africa
Africa is widely considered to be a continent plagued by war, poverty, piracy, disease,
and a general assortment of not-so-good things. Although there is conflict in many regions of
Africa, there are also thriving, successful governments. Countries like Sierra Leone, Cape Verde,
and South Africa all break the mold of being undeveloped and primitive. These countries are
among the most successful that Africa has to offer, with a successful government being one that
is economically sound, has a positive relationship between people and officials, and maintain
human and civil rights. It is, however, evident that some countries in Africa are not quite up to
par. Countries like Somalia and Egypt are war-torn, ruled by corrupt or oppressive leaders, and
are denying people of basic rights and freedoms. Therefore countries in Africa are more
successful when the people are allowed more say in the government and more freedoms.
Cape Verde is an island state of the coast of western Africa. It has a dry desert climate, a
history of droughts, and a lack of natural resources. But despite all of these disadvantages, Cape
Verde is one of Africas most successful countries. On July 5, 1975, Cape Verde became
independent from Portugal, marking a new chapter in the countrys success story. Its multipartied republic government led by Prime Minister Jose Maria Fonseca focuses largely on the
prosperous economic development of the country, and its growth continues rapidly. According
to research done by the Heritage Foundation, Cape Verde ranks third in its region in economic
freedom, putting it above even South Africa (heritage.org). The countrys success can be
credited to that same economic freedom and its stable government that promotes tourism.

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Another successful African government is South Africa. South Africa, until recently, was
a country in need of some sort of miracle. The apartheid system had put the country in turmoil,
similar to a more extreme version of segregation in America. Although South Africa is abundant
in natural resources, the peoples oppression was hindering the economic growth and social
progression of the country. Even though apartheid was abolished in 1991, it was still a couple of
years before the last traces of the segregation disappeared. Since then South Africa has
experienced rapid economic growth. In the last 20 years it became the second largest economy
in the continent (tradingeconomics.com) and its now integrated work forces are the leading
producers of platinum, gold, and iron. South Africas prominent leap into the world of successful
economies is owed to the freedoms that it fought so long to achieve.
Sierra Leone was once a war-torn scrap of land between Guinea and Liberia, struggling to
keep itself in tact. When the United Nations sent peacekeepers there in 1999 to monitor a to-be
ceasefire the country turned itself around. 7000 child soldiers were liberated and the trafficking
of blood diamonds was shut down. The United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone or
UNAMSIL devoted countless hours to cleaning up the mess in Sierra Leone. Since then its
government was re-stabilized and its economy has flourished. In the last ten years Sierra
Leones economy steadily grew to the 33 out of 53 ranked in the continent. Although this may
seem unimpressive it is a major improvement from where it stood just under a decade ago.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, countries like Egypt, and Somalia can be said to be
unsuccessful, or failed states. They are examples of countries that are either financially ruined or
plagued with war.
When people think of Somalia they most likely think of movies like Captain Phillips,
which is not far off from what is actually going on there. Somalia is currently engaged in a civil

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war and has been for more than twenty years. The Siad Barre Regime is Somali group that aims
to crush separatist parties with military force. From 1991 to present day the people of Somalia
have lived in brutal conflict with thousands of homes being destroyed in the violence. The lack
of structured government leaves a strict military group in power and they use this power to
enforce their religion and ideals. Somalias current condition is a prime example of when an
absence of freedoms can lead to a failed state.
The lack of freedom in Egypt is a main cause of the countrys turmoil. The citizens are
prisoners to the government that they have no say in, and President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi shows
no initiative to ease his iron grip on the country. The people of Egypt are denied many of the
rights that Americans and other countries hold as basic freedoms. Freedom of speech and press
are limited, the internet is censored to the liking of the government and freedom of religion is
non-existent. Women have fewer rights than men and homosexuals are technically illegal and
punishable by imprisonment. Children are denied proper education and are often put to work at a
young age if not made into soldiers. Egypts involvement in the Middle Eastern conflict is just
another factor leading into the countrys suffering and the many terrorist organizations that run
rampant in Egypt are not improving their relationships with other countries.
The success of governments in Africa is dependent on the freedoms that the people are
allowed. Successful countries like South Africa, Sierra Leone, and Cape Verde have all been able
to rebuild themselves from seemingly lost causes. The failure of countries like Egypt and
Somalia is owed to the lack of freedoms that the people are allowed. The successes and failures
of countries in Africa prove that the right balance of structured government and civil liberties are
a key to prosperity.

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Works Cited
"Sierra Leone." Economy: Population, GDP, Inflation, Business, Trade, FDI,
Corruption. Web. 04 Mar. 2016.
"LGBT Rights in Egypt | Equaldex." LGBT Rights in Egypt | Equaldex. Equaldex, 2016.
Web. 04 Mar. 2016.
"Somalia." Somalia. 2004. Web. 04 Mar. 2016.
"South Africa." South Africa. Web. 04 Mar. 2016.
"A State of Denial: Religious Freedom in Egypt - The Tahrir Institute for Middle East
Policy." The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy. Timep.org, 23 Jan. 2014. Web. 04
Mar. 2016.
"Year in Review 2005." UN News Center. UN. Web. 04 Mar. 2016.
"'Sierra Leone Is a Success Story Built on Steady Progress,' Security Council Told." UN
News Center. UN, 2014. Web. 04 Mar. 2016.

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