Figure 7.16: Economic issues: Public debt, imports, and exports. Public debt is increasing across Africa, partly as a result of borrowing to fund development projects; but the U.S. public debt (see inset) far exceeds that of most sub-Saharan countries. In all but ten of the countries in sub-Saharan Africa, imports exceed exports. These ten are Angola, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo (indicated in the text as Congo [Kinshasa]), Republic of Congo (indicated in the text as Congo [Brazzaville]), Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia, and Côte d’Ivoire. Minerals (copper and cobalt) are the main export earners for Zambia; cocoa, coffee, and timber for Côte d’Ivoire; and the export earnings of the other eight are from oil and petroleum products.

[Sources consulted: World Fact Book 2012: Africa: South Africa, Central Intelligence Agency, at https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sf.html]