In the early days of independence a major problem for many african nations was a

In the early days of independence a major problem for many african nations was a: shortage of skilled technical workers 
Before the independence, all the technical workers were imported right from the colony, and they never got the chance to educate themselves.
Even until now it is still pretty hard for nations in Africa to produce workers wih good technical skill. The only nation from Africa that doing well in that area is South Africa.