Why is Africa Poor? - Part One

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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?