The Impact of Wars and Civil Conflicts on Africa’s Growth and Poverty

Abstract

The staggering toll of Africa’s wars and civil conflicts in human lives and resources has been aggravated by the devastating impact on its economies. Entire regions have been ruined, communities brought to ashes, and millions have had to flee homes and land, and become refugees. The frequency of countries engaging in wars and conflicts, and the devastation of their economies, has been higher in resource-rich countries, in large measure due to the extremely unequal distribution of their income.