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    Natural Rescource Depletion in Africa

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    Natural Rescource Depletion in Africa

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    samikimaney
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    ARTICLE

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
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    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    6 views2 pages

    Natural Rescource Depletion in Africa

    Uploaded by

    samikimaney
    ARTICLE

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
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    Natural resources depletion in Africa

    Africa is home to some of the largest resources deposits the whole world over. Due to this, you would
    expect Africa to e one of the most developed continents on earth, overflowing with wealth, and
    technological advancements, but it is quite the contrary. Years and years of foreign influence on the
    continent, since the era of slavery, to post colonialist corrupt African governments, have seen money
    going to individual and corporate pockets at the expense f the African population at large.

    The 19th century saw a scramble for control of African land to control the resource, however currently
    there is anew and strategic scramble for Africa, where the world’s superpowers are using whatever is at
    their disposal to control the continents resources.

    Carpets are being rolled out for African heads of state to visit countries like Japan and China, where loan
    and developmental agreements are being signed that will see Africa get infrastructure in return for
    resources. The Chinese belt and rail project, a huge investment into creating a new silk route for china
    has put Africa at the center of its plans, with huge investments made all around the continent.

    We have seen American interests in the continent where bases have been established in Senegal, Mali,
    Ghana, Gabon and Namibia.

    On the other hand European firs currently represent two thirds of the total FDI in Africa. Most of these
    European countries, based on interests they have with previous colonial countries, have made large
    investments in places such as Gabon, Cameroon and Chad in exchange for resources mainly oil.

    The result of the increased resources stripping by nearly the whole world is reducing and depleting the
    natural resources in Africa. We have seen gold mines in south aria run dry, with the mineral deposits
    significantly reducing.

    Forests are dying in countries like Mozambique, all to serve the huge market based china, where timber
    is increasing in demand. Tress are getting uprooted, fishing forests and rather than the money helping
    the people, it is funding civil wars I countries like Liberia.

    Countries like Nigeria are rich in oil and minerals, and huge companies like BP have come in to mine the
    oil, resulting in huge environmental effects, and poverty in and around the surrounding areas. What’s
    worse, due to mining of oil, the people around the area cannot farm resulting in even worse human
    conditions.

    Animal resources have also seen the worst end of poachers selling their skins tusks add more to the back
    market. The number of endangered species which was a couple of decades ago, flourishing wildlife like
    rhinos right now need 24 hour guard service in most African countries such as Kenya.

    Looking at minerals like diamonds found mainly in Sierra Leone, DRC and South Africa. Apart from South
    Africa, which has problems of its own, DRC and Sierra Leone have suffered multiple` civil wars, and after
    thorough investigations, it was discovered that the diamonds I this areas caused their civil war, and
    maintained it.
    This was in the back of America being the main buyer of the blood diamonds.

    What is inevitable is the plunder of natural resources in Africa, as has been for centuries. The question
    this time lies in the benefit of the plunder. Based o the huge level of corruption in Africa countries, will
    the plunder of natural resources lead to any kind of development for Africa and African countries, or will
    we be the victims of yet another round of plunder that will leave us even worse than before?

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