Minerals Should not be a Curse for Africa.

The story is all too familiar. A country is poor but stable. It then hits it big and discovers minerals. The oil or diamond dollars begin rolling in. The country then becomes rich, but conversely, conflicts and chaos ensues. This sounds like a familiar tale of many African countries. Its a story that has often repeated itself times without number. In Nigeria, the Niger delta region has experienced a lot of instability, as the local people accuse shell oil company of polluting the waters nearby and hindering any form of economic activity. The locals cannot do any farming or fishing, and this has led to widespread poverty in the region. Recently, Royal Dutch Shell agreed to compensate the local Ogoni people tens of millions of dollars, but this is even not enough for the locals considering that they cannot carry out any other economic activity.

Still, there is the so called paradox of plenty, in which minerals rather than being a source of wealth and blessing, actually lead to more widespread poverty. In 2013, the Africa Progress Panel, a think tank which advocates for Africa's development, released a report noting that Africans were not benefiting from the vast
mineral resources in the continent. It urged African leaders to ensure that the deals they were entering into were beneficial to the local people.

Still, DR Congo could perhaps be the world's poster child on how mineral wealth can lead to widespread poverty. The country has untold mineral resources, but it still remains one of the poorest countries in the world. Most notably, the country produces large amounts of coltan, which is used in the making of mobile phones and computers. So, in a way, the coltan reserves in the country are powering the information revolution but the locals can't even afford mobile phones. This shows too clearly that more must be done to ensure that Africa benefits from the mineral resources in the continent.

Still, one country that has been the exception is Botswana. Botswana produces large amounts of diamond, and this mineral resource has helped the country to improve its schools, hospitals, and public infrastructure in general. What's more, the excess funds have been put into an investment fund, ensuring that future generations are guaranteed of their livelihoods. As the Botswana example shows, minerals can be a source of blessing rather than a curse, and could help move the African economies forward.