Final answer:
European colonization deeply affected Africa's development through resource exploitation, imposition of arbitrary borders, and a two-tiered governance system. Western foreign investments continue to extract wealth. However, some benefits emerged like technology transfer and governance structures, though these came with challenges.
Step-by-step explanation:
Outside actors, particularly during the colonial era and its aftermath, had a significant impact on Africa's development. The scramble for Africa's resources led to the control of most African nations by European powers, who extracted natural resources and wealth, leaving behind a legacy of poverty and underdevelopment. Even post-colonization, foreign investments by Western companies continue to take profits out of Africa, perpetuating economic challenges. This economic exploitation, combined with the arbitrary borders drawn at the Berlin Conference, has contributed to ongoing internal conflict and instability in many African nations.
In addition to economic factors, European colonialism disrupted the potential formation of a wealthy capitalist class and the adoption of technologies such as the printing press, which were crucial for the rise of modern nation-states in Europe. The colonial system also enforced a two-tiered system of governance, either co-opting or undermining existing African political institutions.
However, some positives emerged in the form of technology transfer and the establishment of structured governments and democratic processes, although these too often came with their own set of challenges and did not necessarily align with indigenous practices or benefit the African populations in the same way they did in Europe.