It is a surprising contrast: in Africa, the first four billionaires are richer than half of the population of the continent, the Oxfam NGO underlines in a report published Thursday.
The inequalities are expanding out of nowhere in the African continent. More than a third of the population of the continent lives below the extreme poverty line, or 460 million people, according to the World Bank, and the number of poor people continues to increase.
According to the classification established by Forbes magazine at the beginning of the year, the first four billionaires of the continent are the Nigerian Aliko Dangote (cement, sugar, fertilizers, etc.), the South Africans Johann Rupert (Luxury) and Nicky Oppenheimer (diamonds), as well as the Egypt Nassef Sawiris (industry and construction).
The NGO explains that the excavation of inequalities is largely linked to the lack of political will of African leaders, who maintain favorable tax systems for the richest and most ineffective.
The NGO emphasizes that Africa is the only region in the world where countries have not increased effective tax rates since 1980.
According to the organization, taxing the richest Africans in 1% more in their assets and 10% more about their income would finance access to education and electricity in the continent.
Creative, corruption, abuse of power
African governments “are on average among the least committed to reducing inequality,” Oxfam said.
“There is no shortage of the richness of Africa, they are wasted by a manipulated system that allows a small elite to collect an immense fortune while depriving hundreds of millions of people from the most basic services,” said Fati N’zi-Hassane, director of Oxfam in Africa, criticizing this “political failure” in a press release.
The report was published on the day of the open meeting of the African Union, which undertakes to reduce inequalities by 15% in the continent during the next decade.
Source: BFM TV
