What was the motivation behind Europeans taking control of Africa?

The Europeans wanted Africa's natural resources. They also wanted to make Africans "civilized".

Explanation:

Africa has an abundance of gold, diamonds, oil, etc. Also, in the European's minds, Africans were uncultured and uncivilized, and they wanted to change that by taking control and colonizing Africa.

They wanted access to Africa's natural resources such as rubber, wood and arable land. It was also seen as an opportunity to grow their economy and build a stronger union