CAUSES OF UNDERDEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA.

UnderdevelopmentRefer to the situation where resources are not used to their full socio-economic potential, with the result that, local or regional development is lower in the most causes than it should be. Furthermore, it results from the complex interplay of internal and external factors that allow less developed countries only a lop-sided development progression. Underdeveloped nations are characterized by a wide disparity between their rich and poor populations, and an unhealthy balance of trade.  Symptoms of underdevelopment include lack of access to job opportunities, health care, drinkable water, food, education and housing.According to Marxism view: Concentrating on the social and economic relations in which people earn their livings, Marx saw behind capitalism's law and order appearance a struggle of two main classes: the capitalists, who own the productive resources, and the workers or proletariat, who must work in order to survive. "Marxism" is essentially Marx's analysis of the complex and developing relations between these two classes. Also the founder of Marxian are Karl max and Fredrick Engel.
v Alienation
In the theory of alienation, Marx gives us his answer to this question. Workers in capitalist society do not own the means—machines, raw materials, factories—which they use in their work. These are owned by the capitalists to whom the workers must sell their "labor power or ability to do work, in return for a wage. In relation to Africa continent alienation take place on land which left the Africans in poor condition since they remained landless. Finally, the worker is alienated from the distinctive potential for creativity and community we all share just because we are human beings. Through labor which alienates them from their activity, product and other people, workers gradually lose their ability to develop the finer qualities which belong to them as members of the human species.
v Classes and class conflict.
    So in any historical period dominant and subservient classes can be identified. Inequality in wealth and power was of fundamental moral concern to Marx. Some groups come to dominate others and to win for themselves a disproportionate share of the society’s wealth, power and privileges. The ultimate goal Marxists aim at is a classless society, i.e., a society in which all enjoy more or less equal wealth and power. In relation to Africa the capitalist introduce the system of divide and rule which finally separate the Africans for example in Somalia, Nigeria, Sudan and Rwanda hence endless civil war which deprive African development.
v Accumulation of capital and profit maximization.    Marxists stress that the factor which determines what happens in our society is the drive to accumulate capital. The ceaseless quest to make profits, which are then reinvested, to make more profit, in an endless spiral of capital accumulation because competing firms are always looking for ways of maximizing their profits.
Capitalism is increasingly faced with the enormous problem of finding profitable outlets for all the capital that is constantly accumulating. I relation to Africa the capitalism took the Africa continent as the source of accumulating capital and maximizing their profit through selling their manufactured goods(market), find area for investments and area for settlement and dumping surplus population which made the African to remain under develop.Before the Europeans arrived in Africa, Africa had vibrant economic, social and political structures. These were severely disrupted by Europeans to create wealth for themselves.European dominance over most of Africa through the transatlantic slave trade lasted 440 years, from 1444 to 1885.According to Walter Rodney.  Shipments were all by Europeans to markets controlled by Europeans, and this was in the interest of European capitalism and nothing else.v African were plundered there resources by empires,
Such as the British, French and Germans. These empires took the countries enjoying the benefits of the wealth .These historical problem have been compounded by debts owned by the poor countries to the rich organized by people on both sides with little interest in the well being of the general population.v Low level of science and technology in Africa,
Because of the poor technology, Africa countries still depends on the western countries since they fail to produce quality goods and services for external competition. Thus they depend on the importation of the goods from abroad leading to the out flow of the income. Also the importation leads to the destruction of local industries.v Dual economies.
  Most of African countries are characterized by the two sector mode of the economy that is Agriculture comprises a large percentage but give low productivity while the existing industries which give higher productivity are in the small percentage thus leading to the under developmentv International circumstances and internal conditions of African countries
The primary barriers within countries had prevented the African countries from copying the industrialized countries and reaching the similar stage .Also the system of capitalism opposed the development of African countries thus leading to the fewer opportunities for African countries to take step ahead.v Unequal exchange
The industrialized countries could buy goods at prices below the cost involved in producing the same goods in the industrialized countries .so this seemed as a kind of over exploitation because people in periphery were paid low wages