Why is Africa Poor? - Part One

Conflicts - between Africans, with non-Africans and sometimes with the land itself - continue to make too many people on the continent among the poorest on earth.

World Affairs correspondent Mark Doyle explores questions of democracy, modern communications and the impact of multi-national corporations.

Though the question 'why is Africa poor?' is a straightforward one, the answers are not.

Mark takes a look at the impact of foreign investors on countries such as Liberia and Sudan.

Are Africans right to be suspicious of investors, or is the industry that foreigners bring - practical help in the form of building bridges and railways, and making the most of a country's natural mineral deposits - the beginnings of large scale development?