What is Paradox of Plenty (or Resource Curse)

Although the Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is not a monolithic entity but a collection of 48 independent states, the SSA's economy is analyzed as though it were a single unit in this chapter. This is because the SSA as a whole is confronted with a wide range of interlinked economic and socio-cultural problems that include high levels of unemployment and poor infrastructural challenges. Thus, this chapter evaluates issues of governance, institution, infrastructure, demography, capital flight, corruption, and the informal sector associated with economic growth and human development. These issues are deemed useful constructs to understand the “desperation” and “struggle” for emigration out of Africa by many Black Africans.