Sorry to say this but it is about IQ, education and literacy.

People with lower intelligence are more likely to seek security via group membership. Thus tribalism is still the norm in Africa.

Additionally, the rule of law is also weakened when people are unable to read well enough to write up, read and follow contractual agreements. In Western societies, where most people can understand and follow contractual agreements, that helps them to increase their circle of trust to include more than just their family, friends and neighbors. That means that as an American you can travel to a far away American city seeking employment or engage in trade with people there without expectation of being cheated just because you’re an outsider.

In traditional African tribal villages, if you have a conflict with someone you go to the chief and he resolves it. Once that conflict goes outside of the village, no one chief can resolve it and now you’ve got tribe to tribe conflict. In the past, this may have led to war but in the present what it leads to is lack of trust, reduced interaction and a reduction in trade with outside tribes.

In societies that have narrow circles of trust, dependable economic growth becomes more difficult.

Finally, without a strong national education system tribal languages maintain their hold and make it more difficult to interact and trade with people in a village who may just be a few miles away from your village. Sadly but smartly the Chinese government realized years ago that it needed to promote a national language in order to facilitate economic development and interaction within China itself.

Sorry to say this but it is about IQ, education and literacy.

People with lower intelligence are more likely to seek security via group membership. Thus tribalism is still the norm in Africa.

Additionally, the rule of law is also weakened when people are unable to read well enough to write up, read and follow contractual agreements. In Western societies, where most people can understand and follow contractual agreements that helps them to increase their circle of trust to include more than just their family, friends and neighbors. That means as an American you can travel to a far away American city seeking employment or engage in trade with people without expectation of being cheated just because you’re an outsider.

In traditional African tribal villages, if you have a conflict with someone you go to the chief and he resolves it. Once that conflict goes outside of the village, no one chief can resolve it and now you’ve got tribe to tribe conflict. In the past, this may have led to war but in the present what it leads to is lack of trust, reduced interaction and a reduction in trade with outside tribes.

In societies that have narrow circles of trust, dependable economic growth becomes more difficult.

Finally, without a strong national education system tribal languages maintain their hold and make it more difficult to interact and trade with people in a village who may just be a few miles away from your village. Sadly but smartly the Chinese government realized years ago that it needed to promote a national language in order to facilitate economic development and interaction within China itself.