Africa and the Third Millennium

There is a general consensus that Africa entered the twenty-first century plagued by multifaceted crises of underdevelopment evidenced by, among other things, abject poverty, the inadequacy of basic human needs, social stresses and tensions in the various major urban centers, environmental degradation and the devastating effects of violent civil conflicts. While there is no doubt that slavery and colonialism have contributed to the continent's predicament, the failure of the neo-colonial state