Africa's Mineral Wealth
Although Africa is a poor continent, it could in principle be rich. Large quantities of valuable mineral resources lie deep underground, which could bring significant wealth to the respective countries.
Africa and its mineral resources
Unfortunately, these are mostly mined and exported under unfavorable conditions by Western countries. The impoverished countries do not have the means to organize orderly mining themselves. This dependency is a dilemma that has existed for many years. It is exacerbated by the wars that repeatedly break out because of the raw materials.
Many deposits are located in border areas and are claimed by several states. In addition, the raw material exports that have existed since the 15th century have led to a one-sided development of the national economies. While the development of mineral resources is still being consistently advanced today, other economic sectors such as agriculture continue to be neglected. This makes it impossible for economies to develop towards stability. Even the independence gained by many states in the middle of the last century could not significantly reduce the dependence on raw material exports.
Which mineral resources are mined, how did they form?
In many countries, the extraction of crude oil and mining form the only pillar of the economy. The crude oil mainly comes from the northern countries but also particularly from Nigeria. Copper, gold and diamonds are found in greater quantities in other regions. Around half of the world's gold deposits and 90 percent of platinum reserves are found on the black continent. The large number of rich deposits is due to the fact that Africa is the oldest continent on earth. The formation of raw materials, in turn, is a very lengthy process that extends over many millennia. Accordingly, the development of mineral resources in Africa is geologically very advanced.
The influence from outside and the conditions for workers
China and India are the largest investors in the extraction of raw materials on the continent marked by colonialism. They invest billions every year to advance the development of new raw material deposits. However, these investments are increasingly being viewed critically, as the money often flows to violent regimes or into arms trade. A real improvement in the economic situation will therefore never be achieved, as the spiral of violence is ultimately always fueled. Foreign investors usually do not care about this as long as the demand for raw materials can be sufficiently met. The conditions under which the raw materials are mined must also be viewed critically. The protective and safety measures usually do not meet the high standards of the major industrial nations. However, workers have no way to defend themselves. They need the work to feed their families.
