Africa's Hidden Treasures: The Impact And Future Of Mineral Exploitation
Africa
Business
Africa cements itself as a hub of the largest deposit of minerals in the global space. Just a few of the African minerals are Gold, Uranium, Diamonds, Bauxite, Sulphur, Gypsum, Titanium, Zinc; Iron and Copper; Natural Gas, Coal, Silver, and Lithium. However, Africa does not enjoy the benefits of possessing these huge deposits of precious minerals. It still lacks the technological power to carry out mining activities without compromising its independence in policy and power over mining such minerals. The African leaders have thus been forced to allow foreign companies to take over the mines and corrupt mining deals between the leaders and foreign mining companies have been a curse to the African people. To note just a few of the countries that feel such precious minerals have been a curse to them are the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Namibia, Mali, and Zimbabwe. has been growing every day and looks promising. Despite this, it has a dark side of it. With Lithium being a focused mineral and nicknamed the future mineral, more companies are exploring the African Continent for this In countries such as Kenya, the mining of precious minerals has been taking place with at most secrecy benefiting just the elites. The green energy spacemineral. Currently, Zimbabwe sits as the top Lithium African-producing country and sixth in the global rank. Nonetheless, the people working in the mines live in deplorable conditions. The export of minerals outside Africa has done little to uplift the African Economy as the gap between the wealthy and poor widens further. Africans have long been exploited by their own corrupt and selfish leaders which has dampened hope for most African countries. It is for this reason that Burkina Faso is setting a blueprint for other African countries by banning the export of gold as it seeks to reform the mining sector in the country. The African policing of mining needs an overhaul as way of protecting the people from further exploitation and propel African continent to economic prowess.
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