By Patrick Ofoe Nudzi
Accra, July 30, GNA – Stakeholders in governance and extractive value chain believe that Africa’s critical minerals future depends more on good governance than the abundance of mineral resources.
They said the continent’s vast deposits of critical minerals presented enormous opportunities amid the global transition to renewable energy, digital technologies, artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing.
Speaking at the close of a three-day conference of the High-Level Conference on Governance, Critical Minerals and Conflict in Africa, Mr Tem Fuh Mbuh, Programme Manager, Transformation, Open Society Foundation, in a call to action said strong institutions and accountable leadership were essential to translate the resources into sustainable development
He identified transparent institutions, the rule of law, citizen participation and accountability as critical requirements for ensuring that mineral wealth promoted peace, economic transformation and shared prosperity across the continent.
He said peace and effective resource governance were inseparable, noting that conflicts often arose from exclusion, inequitable distribution of benefits and weak institutions rather than the presence of minerals.
Mr Mbuh urged African countries to move beyond exporting raw minerals by investing in value addition, industrialisation, technology, innovation and regional value chains to maximise the benefits from critical minerals, calling for conflict-sensitive governance systems that prioritised dialogue, inclusion, mediation and social cohesion.
“Women, youth, artisanal miners, local communities and human rights defenders must be recognised as key partners in resource governance. Inclusive participation is essential for legitimacy, sustainability and peaceful development,” he said.
He advocated the establishment of national and Pan-African Sovereign Wealth Funds to invest mineral revenues in human capital, environmental restoration, technology transfer and community development while strengthening citizen participation and enforcement of mining laws.
The participants who were community leaders, policymakers, civil society actors, responsible mining advocates, researchers, traditional authorities, development partners and private sector, were from various countries on the continent.
The conference was conveyed by Open Society Foundations, an entity that works to build vibrant and inclusive democracies whose governments are accountable to their people.
Madam Leela Ramdhani, Chief Operating Officer, Open Society Foundation, in a closing remarks, said what was needed was a real shift in bargaining power between states and corporations, between mining operations and communities and between global finance and local production.
She said States must not place communities at the margins of decision-making, but the centre of determining how resources are governed, benefits are shared and development is defined.
“Those who bear the greatest social, environmental and economic costs of extraction must have the greatest voice in determining its future. The race for critical minerals is not just a market moment; it is a test of sovereignty, democracy, global cooperation, and our claims to equal humanity,” she noted.
She said if Africa’s mineral wealth was to become a blessing rather than another chapter in a history of extraction, they must look beyond themselves and beyond the present moment as history would judge them harshly if they succumb to the narrow confines of self-interest.
GNA
Edited by George-Ramsey Benamba
Patrick Ofoe Nudzi