Education, Industry, Trade and Development of African Countries in 1980-99

The paper presents a general view of the educational level of population and its relation to economic development in African countries. We present a comparative view of production by sector and by inhabitant, external trade, years of schooling and fertility rates, by country and by large areas, and we analyse the causes of poverty and economic stagnation of many countries. The conclusions point to the low value of average years of school as the main cause of economic problems in these countries, and to the need of fostering international co-operation in order to increase the educational level and effectively counteract poverty and guarantee a sustained economic development.