GGH2601
ASSIGNMENT 1 SEMESTER 2 2025
UNIQUE NO. 143131
DUE DATE: 18 AUGUST 2025
, GGH2601: The African Challenge – People and the Environment
Assessment 1
Unique Number: 143131
Student Name:
Student Number:
Question 1: Discuss how diversity on the African continent can be viewed as
fueling conflict
Africa is widely recognized as the most culturally, linguistically, and ethnically diverse
continent in the world. This diversity is manifested in over 3,000 ethnic groups and more
than 2,000 languages spoken across 54 countries (Akinwale, 2021). While diversity can
be a source of richness and innovation, it can also fuel conflict when governance
systems fail to manage competing group interests. The relationship between diversity
and conflict in Africa is particularly pronounced when ethnic, religious, and cultural
divisions intersect with political and economic inequalities.
One of the primary ways diversity fuels conflict is through ethnic competition for
political power and resources. Many African countries are artificial creations of
colonial borders that grouped together multiple ethnic groups with little consideration of
their historical rivalries. For example, in Nigeria, the struggle for political control
between the Hausa-Fulani, Yoruba, and Igbo groups has been a source of persistent
tension, resulting in the Biafran Civil War (1967–1970) and recurrent communal
violence (Falola, 2020). Similarly, in Kenya, ethnic diversity has contributed to electoral
violence, as seen in the 2007–2008 post-election crisis, where political parties mobilized
ethnic divisions to secure votes (Omeje & Mwangi, 2022).
ASSIGNMENT 1 SEMESTER 2 2025
UNIQUE NO. 143131
DUE DATE: 18 AUGUST 2025
, GGH2601: The African Challenge – People and the Environment
Assessment 1
Unique Number: 143131
Student Name:
Student Number:
Question 1: Discuss how diversity on the African continent can be viewed as
fueling conflict
Africa is widely recognized as the most culturally, linguistically, and ethnically diverse
continent in the world. This diversity is manifested in over 3,000 ethnic groups and more
than 2,000 languages spoken across 54 countries (Akinwale, 2021). While diversity can
be a source of richness and innovation, it can also fuel conflict when governance
systems fail to manage competing group interests. The relationship between diversity
and conflict in Africa is particularly pronounced when ethnic, religious, and cultural
divisions intersect with political and economic inequalities.
One of the primary ways diversity fuels conflict is through ethnic competition for
political power and resources. Many African countries are artificial creations of
colonial borders that grouped together multiple ethnic groups with little consideration of
their historical rivalries. For example, in Nigeria, the struggle for political control
between the Hausa-Fulani, Yoruba, and Igbo groups has been a source of persistent
tension, resulting in the Biafran Civil War (1967–1970) and recurrent communal
violence (Falola, 2020). Similarly, in Kenya, ethnic diversity has contributed to electoral
violence, as seen in the 2007–2008 post-election crisis, where political parties mobilized
ethnic divisions to secure votes (Omeje & Mwangi, 2022).
