Actually, this comes down to three simple factors.
1. Craftsmanship. Europe developed the trade mentality and it crossed the ocean into the US...becoming part of our mentality. Go look for any real sign of craftsmanship in Africa over the past five-hundred years.
2. Innovation. Go throughout Italy, Netherlands, Germany, etc...guys sitting in their garage, basement or company lab. They are thinking about improving things around the clock....mechanical, agricultural, etc. Go look for innovation in Africa. Where do you see anything of a comparable nature?
3. If you go to Asia, Europe or the US....you continually see examples of where nothing existing, and some people arriving and putting together major cities, industries, and mass transit. Nothing was built for people as they arrived. So, in Africa, where do you see that mentality?
I would add...even today....if I go to Germany or France, and ask people who they are....they don’t respond Normans, or Bavarians or Franks....they are German or French. Go to Africa and ask who they are, and half the time they respond....such-and-such tribe...not the nationality itself.
There was this show in India about how they do this slop work and never improve the thing over generations. Feces and animal skins in holes in the walls. No ‘spark’ to say ‘screw this’ and go another way.
It’s so complicated. Cause many Indians are absolutely capable of being fully genius. So it’s this mix of spark/race/genetics/culture.