Independence was gained from Britain after around 90 years of colonisation and from minority white rule in 1980 after a protracted war of liberation.⁴⁷ During the 1990s a combination of high inflation, an expanding population and illnesses related to HIV/AIDS threatened the achievements of immediate post independence. The introduction of the Economic Structural Adjustment Programme (ESAP) designed to protect the social sector, resulted in a harsh economic reality for many Zimbabweans. At the end of 2003 inflation was estimated at around 600%.^48,49

The country’s political, economic and social instability over the past decade has exacerbated the devastation caused by recurrent droughts and the AIDS epidemic. Imports are limited and even basic commodities such as over-the-counter drugs, cotton wool and bandages, are either unavailable or beyond the reach of most.

GDP per capita is Intl $2,271. This falls within the range of $8,272 (Lybia) and $346 ( Democratic Republic of the Congo) in the countries of Africa (Table 11).

Table 11 GDP per capita (Intl $): countries of Africa, 2001

Country	GDP per capita (Int $)
Libya	8272
South Africa	7538
Tunisia	7183
Botswana	5747
Gabon	5514
Equatorial Guinea	5239
Swaziland	5029
Namibia	4918
Algeria	4104
Egypt	3901
Morocco	3887
Liberia	2965
Zimbabwe	2271
C ô te d'Ivoire	2045
Congo	1936
Lesotho	1844
Guinea	1752
Togo	1608
Angola	1578
Kenya	1452
Senegal	1323
Central African Republic	1289
Djibouti	1288
Ghana	1272
Cameroon	1269
Mauritania	1257
Gambia	1214
Sudan	1112
Uganda	964
Nigeria	915
Zambia	906
Benin	888
Burkina Faso	886
Mozambique	805
Rwanda	799
Mali	700
Chad	656
Guinea-Bissau	630
Eritrea	629
Sierra Leone	606
Niger	604
Utd Rep of Tanzania	599
Burundi	529
Malawi	501
Ethiopia	382
Dem Rep of the Congo	346
Somalia

Source WHO