A development consultant and researcher, Dr. Elvis Banoemuleng Botah, has expressed frustration with Africa's continuing lack of development despite its abundant natural resources.

He said this while when he delivered a keynote address at the Association of Professional Development Communicators (APDC)-Ghana's official launch at the GNAT Hall in Accra on Friday, July 5.

Dr Botah said, "It is mind-boggling to come to the realisation that when it comes to the issues of development within the global landscape, Africa is always lagging with enormous development deficits, ranging from housing, unemployment, deplorable economic and infrastructural circumstances, political instability, and above all critical issues concerning the worsening security situations that have bedevilled the African continent despite our numerous resource endowments, our numerous human capital, endowment, population."

The researcher pointed to statistics from UN agencies showing over 120 million people displaced in the volatile Sahel region alone due to conflicts and lack of development.

Over 1.7 million, according to Dr Botah, are internally displaced within countries in the region, while 6.8 million have fled abroad as refugees.

"If these are the realities, then we do not need a prophetic seat to point fingers towards the very causative elements of poverty, unemployment and the lack of social well-being among others," Dr Botah said.

He lamented that across Ghana as well, "Suddenly, every single person, every single household, every single youth in Ghana today is lamenting and struggling with daily survival."

Dr. Botah observed that Africa's continuing underdevelopment "has to do with nothing but the cheap, useless and frivolous politicization of every critical sector of our economy."

He advised development communicators and members of the APDC-Ghana to help change the narrative for a prosperous society.