Eritrea

A small coastal country strategically situated along the Red Sea in the Horn of Africa, Eritrea possesses extensive agricultural and mineral resources. Yet, it remains among the poorest nations on the continent. 

Eritrea is a one-party state with a highly militarized society, a matter that the government defends by evoking the threat of war with neighboring Ethiopia. Eritrea’s longstanding challenges include a lack of commitment to structural economic reforms, a critical level of debt and underdeveloped legal and regulatory frameworks. United States economic sanctions, a poor human rights record and exclusion from global financial networks have further contributed to making this country of 3.5 million people a pariah state. Agriculture, accounting for about one-third of Eritrea’s economy, is vulnerable to recurrent droughts and other climate shocks, compounding problems for the population.