The reality of Africa in the beginning of the twenty-first century is that its position in the global economy is peripheral. Statistics presented in Chapter One provide evidence of how marginal the region is to global economic transactions. Africa exports almost exclusively unprocessed commodities – be they agricultural or mineral. It imports a large share of all its manufactured goods. Foreign direct investments in African countries are quite small compared to both Asia and Latin America. With the exception of South Africa, this applies in varying degrees to all countries in the region. Those with mineral resources tend to fare a bit better as far as investment goes, but despite Africa's enormous mineral riches, most investors would tend to place their money in operations in other parts of the world where the investment climate is more attractive.

To a large extent, African countries are responsible for their economic predicament, but it would be wrong to attribute its peripheral position only to bad policies or poor leadership, as many economists are inclined to do. The global economy, as currently constituted, is not particularly enabling to the poorest countries of the world, especially those that still rely on agricultural exports for income. There are two problems that African countries encounter. One is the extensive subsidies and protections given to agricultural producers and textile manufacturers in both the United States and the European Union (EU). These have the effect of limiting export opportunities for Africans and keep world market prices suppressed.