- era ▁boundaries ▁int act ), ▁in ▁most ▁cases ▁without ▁prolong ed ▁violent ▁conflict ▁( exception s ▁include ▁the ▁Cam ero on , ▁Mad agas car ▁and ▁Ken ya ). ▁As ▁the ▁Cold ▁War ▁continued , ▁African ▁govern ments ▁could ▁count ▁on ▁support ▁from ▁either ▁Western ▁govern ments ▁or ▁Commun ist ▁pat rons , ▁depending ▁upon ▁their ▁ide ology . ▁ ▁The ▁early ▁years ▁of ▁independence ▁went ▁relatively ▁smooth ly ▁for ▁most ▁African ▁countries . ▁This ▁economic ▁res ili ence ▁er oded ▁for ▁the ▁most ▁part ▁over ▁the ▁next ▁several ▁dec ades . ▁Many ▁arguments ▁have ▁been ▁made ▁to ▁identify ▁factors ▁to ▁explain ▁the ▁economic ▁decl ine ▁of ▁many ▁African ▁countries . ▁The ▁t endency ▁towards ▁single - party ▁rule , ▁out law ing ▁political ▁opposition , ▁had ▁the ▁result ▁of ▁keeping ▁dict ators ▁in ▁power ▁for ▁many ▁years , ▁perpet u ating ▁failed ▁policies . ▁Lo ans ▁from ▁foreign ▁govern ments ▁became ▁cri pp ling ▁bur dens ▁to ▁some ▁countries ▁that ▁had ▁difficulty ▁even ▁pay ing ▁the ▁interest ▁on ▁the ▁lo ans . ▁The ▁UN ▁Conference ▁on ▁Trade ▁and ▁Development ▁( UN CT AD ) ▁estimates ▁that ▁between ▁ 1 9 7 0 ▁and ▁ 2 0 0 2 ▁" sub - S ah aran ▁Africa ▁received ▁$ 2 9 4 ▁billion ▁in ▁lo ans , ▁paid ▁out ▁$ 2 6 8 ▁billion ▁in ▁deb t ▁service , ▁and ▁yet ▁still ▁ow es ▁$ 3 0 0 ▁billion ". ▁ ▁At ▁various ▁points ▁during ▁the ▁late ▁ 2 0 th ▁century ,