Structural Adjustment as an Inadvertent Enemy of Human Development in Africa

The structural adjustment programs implemented by the World Bank & the International Monetary Fund on behalf of the failing sub-Saharan African economies have only hindered the development of these struggling countries. Corruption & cronyism continue to prevail, while gains in human development, education, & health care are nonexistent. This paper focuses on budgetary allocation & the education system in sub-Saharan Africa in an effort to illustrate the detrimental impact of structural adjustment programs. It looks at both the economic & social costs of structural adjustment & unemployment in Africa, particularly in Nigeria. The paper concludes that the structural adjustment programs have failed. As a result, sub-Saharan Africa's social sector has been disrupted, educational services have been degraded, & unemployment & poverty now prevail. Reforms are called for. 2 Tables, 1 Figure, 31 References. K. A. Larsen