Japan was way behind technologically. Now it’s the most advanced society in the world. Technology and knowledge is not nation or racial prone. Until very recently Sub-Saharan Africa was part of colonial empires. You can’t make that connection. Sure, many regimes today in africa has driven the countries into deep shit, and hasn’t built up strong industries and infra-structure. In many of these countries few have higher education. I would say that that and unstable economies has to do with it more than anything. It is a quite complex situation many of these countries are in, not to mention that they are made up of many different peoples, with different languages, civil unrest, poverty and bad, little or no health care. These countries haven’t been able to, and can’t compete with Europe on equal terms. That’s it.