Summary
Burkina Faso is a West African country that gained independence from France in 1960 and has been governed since 2022 by Ibrahim Traoré, who became president through a coup at age 34 and is still in office at 37. Nigeria has Africa’s largest economy in total GDP but one of the lowest GDP per capita levels because of its population size and unequal distribution of wealth. Seychelles is the richest African country per person, with a GDP per capita of about 42,000 USD PPP, which is higher than Albania’s 17,000–19,000 USD PPP because Seychelles is smaller and relies on services such as tourism and finance. South Africa is led by Cyril Ramaphosa of the ANC and is the only African nation with a permanent base in Antarctica.
Context and Scope
The account includes Burkina Faso’s geography, independence, coups, education, and infrastructure; Nigeria’s economic paradox; Seychelles’ wealth and comparisons with Europe; South Africa’s leadership and the ANC; Africa’s two never-colonized countries; global colonial powers; the presence of African countries in Antarctica; and the structural causes of Africa’s poverty.
Exhaustive Narrative of Facts
Burkina Faso: independence and leadership
Burkina Faso is a landlocked state in West Africa, bordered by Mali, Niger, Benin, Togo, Ghana, and Ivory Coast, with Ouagadougou as its capital. It was called Upper Volta under French rule until independence in 1960. France maintained influence through the CFA franc, military agreements, and resource access. In September 2022, Ibrahim Traoré, born in 1988, seized power in the second coup of that year, deposing Paul-Henri Damiba. At 37 in 2025 he is the youngest head of state in the world. He promotes sovereignty, seeks new alliances such as with Russia, and rejects French influence, citing terrorism as the reason for the coup. Education is free at the primary level and partly free in secondary schools, though indirect costs remain. There is no documented evidence of compulsory unpaid student work. Roads have been upgraded with help from international partners like China, though there is no documented evidence of complete nationwide paving.
Nigeria’s paradox of wealth and poverty
Nigeria has Africa’s largest economy in total GDP thanks to oil, agriculture, gas, and telecommunications. Its GDP per capita is very low because more than 220 million people share the output, and corruption, inequality, and violence further undermine living standards.
Seychelles and other African economies
Seychelles records about 42,000 USD PPP per person, Mauritius about 28,000, Botswana about 20,000–21,000, Gabon about 19,000–20,000, and Equatorial Guinea about 18,000–19,000. These levels are higher than Albania’s 17,000–19,000 USD PPP, and Seychelles also surpasses Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Serbia, Montenegro, and North Macedonia because those European countries record lower PPP values. Seychelles is made up of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, northeast of Madagascar and 1,600 km east of Kenya, with its capital at Victoria on Mahé. Its economy depends heavily on tourism, fishing, and financial services.
South Africa and the ANC
Cyril Ramaphosa has been president of South Africa since 2018. He is a Black leader of the African National Congress, which has governed the country since the end of apartheid in 1994. Every president since then has been Black and a member of the ANC. The party was founded in 1912 to fight racial discrimination and became the main force against apartheid, with Nelson Mandela as its most famous leader. South Africa is also the only African nation with a permanent base in Antarctica, SANAE IV.
Countries never colonized and global colonial legacies
Ethiopia avoided colonization except for an Italian occupation between 1936 and 1941. Liberia, founded in 1847 by freed American slaves, was never a European colony but remained under US influence. Globally, Japan was never colonized though occupied by the United States after World War II, Thailand remained independent, and China was never fully colonized though Hong Kong and Macao were held by foreign powers. Colonial powers in Africa included France, Britain, Portugal, Belgium, Germany, Italy, and Spain. The Ottoman Empire also held parts of North Africa before European colonization. No American, Asian, or Oceanian country colonized Africa. No African state colonized overseas, though empires like Mali, Zulu, and Ashanti expanded within Africa.
Causes of Africa’s poverty
Africa remains the poorest continent overall due to colonial exploitation, artificial borders, dependence on raw exports, corruption, wars, weak governance, poor investment in infrastructure and education, external debt, and environmental pressures.
Practical Takeaways
- Burkina Faso shows how colonial legacies and instability still shape African politics.
- Nigeria highlights the difference between total GDP and per-person wealth.
- Seychelles demonstrates how small service-based economies can surpass European countries in GDP per capita.
- South Africa is unique in maintaining a permanent base in Antarctica and has been governed by the ANC since 1994.
- Liberia and Ethiopia are the only African countries never colonized, while most of the continent was divided among European powers.
- Africa’s poverty is rooted in historical exploitation, structural dependence, and governance challenges.
My Diary - Leonardo Cardillo 