For too long Africa's mineral fortune has been lamented as a resource curse that has led to conflict rather than development for much of the continent. Yet times are changing and the opportunities to bring technical expertise on modern mining alongside appropriate governance mechanisms for social development are becoming more accessible in Africa. This book synthesizes perspectives from multiple disciplines to address Africa’s development goals in relation to its mineral resources. The authors cover ways of addressing a range of policy challenges, environmental concerns, and public health impacts and also consider the role of globalization within the extractive industries. Academic research is coupled with key field vignettes from practitioners exemplifying case studies throughout. The book summarizes the challenges of natural resource governance, suggesting ways in which mining can be more effectively managed in Africa. By providing an analytical framework it highlights the essential intersection between natural and social sciences, central to efficient and effective harnessing of the potential for minerals and mining to be a contributor to positive development in Africa. It will be of interest to policy makers, industry professionals, and researchers in the extractive industries, as well as to the broader development community.

The West stolen Africas wealth and invested it in the IMF, World Bank and European Bank. Through the colonization of Africa, the West not only managed to impoverish the African continent but it managed to build its own world class infrastructure through ill-gotten wealth from Africa. Africa is the richest continent on the face of the world as far as mineral resources is concern, but, Africans are the poorest people on the face of the world. Its an open secret that the majority of skyscrapers in the US were built by African slaves who were bought from Gore Island in Senegal at the cheapest price and transported to the US. From the Dark Age until to the information age, the African continent is the only continent where there is no perennial political peace. Africans have been on the run from their civil wars for quite a long period of time, to the point that some Africans have emigrated from the African continent to live in the West where they are not even welcomed and accepted. African mineral resources are sufficient enough to the point that if they were equally and fairly utilized in the interest of the Africa people, Africa was going to be a poverty-free continent. Unfortunately opposite is the case, the African mineral resources continue to enrich the Westerners at the expense of the African people. Africans are political free but remain economically in prison, which they cant see, smell, touch or feel.The west destabilizes the African continent by pouring military weapons to the African continent to ensure that bloodshed does not cease.

Africa supplies the majority of the world’s diamonds, yet consumers generally know little about the origins and history of these precious stones beyond sensationalized media accounts of so-called blood diamonds. Stones of Contention explores the major developments in the remarkable history of Africa’s diamonds, from the earliest stirrings of international interest in the continent’s mineral wealth in the first millennium A.D. to the present day. In the European colonial period, the discovery of diamonds in South Africa ushered in an era of unprecedented greed during which monopolistic enterprises exploited both the mineral resources and the indigenous workforce. In the aftermath of World War II, the governments of newly independent African states, both democratic and despotic, joined industry giant De Beers and other corporations to oversee and profit from mining activity on the continent. The book also considers the experiences of a wide array of Africans—from informal artisanal miners, company mineworkers, and indigenous authorities to armed rebels, mining executives, and premiers of mineral-rich states—and their relationships to the stones that have the power to bring both wealth and misery. With photos and maps, Stones of Contention illustrates the scope and complexity of the African diamond trade as well as its impact on individuals and societies.

This book addresses the divide that exists between the reality of finance and the image it projects. A functioning financial system is an essential feature of a modern economy, providing it with money, credit, capital, and investments. Conversely, those who provide this essential service are neither respected nor trusted. The causes and consequences of this divide is explored using the British experience from 1800 to the present, drawing upon a mixture of factual evidence and contemporary fiction. Nothing of this scale has been attempted before and this is the product of 50 years of research.

The Routledge Handbook of the Extractive Industries and Sustainable Development provides a cutting-edge, comprehensive overview of current trends, challenges and opportunities for metal and mineral production and use, in the context of climate change and the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda 2030. Minerals and metals are used throughout the world in manufacturing, construction, infrastructure, production of electronics and consumer goods. Alongside this widespread use, extraction and processing of mineral resources take place in almost every nation at varying scales, both in developing countries and major developed nations. The chapters in this interdisciplinary handbook examine the international governance mechanisms regulating social, environmental and economic implications of mineral resource extraction and use. The original contributions, from a range of scholars, examine the relevance of the mining industry to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), reviewing important themes such as local communities Indigenous peoples, gender equality and fair trade, showing how mining can influence global sustainable development. The chapters are organised into three sections: Global Trends in Mineral Resources Consumption and Production; Technology, Minerals and Sustainable Development; and Management of Social, Environmental and Economic Issues in the Mining Industry. This handbook will serve as an important resource for students and researchers of geology, geography, earth science, environmental studies, engineering, international development, sustainable development and business management, among others. It will also be of interest to professionals in governmental, international and non-governmental organisations that are working on issues of resource governance, environmental protection and social justice.

The book draws upon the expertise and international research collaborations forged by the Worldwide Universities Network Global Africa Group to critically engage with the intersection, in theory and practice, of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Africa’s development agendas and needs. Further, it argues that – and demonstrates how – the SDGs should be understood as an aspirational blueprint for development with multiple meanings that are situated in dynamic and contested terrains. As the SDGs have substantial implications for development policy and resourcing at both the macro and micro levels, their relevance is not only context-specific but should also be assessed in terms of the aspirations and needs of ordinary citizens across the continent. Drawing on analyses and evidence from both the natural and social sciences, the book demonstrates that progress towards the SDGs must meet demands for improving human well-being under diverse and challenging socio-economic, political and environmental conditions. Examples include those from the mining industry, public health, employment and the media. In closing, it highlights how international collaboration in the form of research networks can enhance the production of critical knowledge on and engagement with the SDGs in Africa.

The Encyclopedia of Africa presents the most up-to-date and thorough reference on this region of ever-growing importance in world history, politics, and culture. Its core is comprised of the entries focusing on African history and culture from 2005's acclaimed five-volume Africana - nearly two-thirds of these 1,300 entries have been updated, revised, and expanded to reflect the most recent scholarship. Organized in an A-Z format, the articles cover prominent individuals, events, trends, places, political movements, art forms, business and trade, religions, ethnic groups, organizations, and countries throughout Africa. There are articles on contemporary nations of sub-Saharan Africa, ethnic groups from various regions of Africa, and European colonial powers. Other examples include Congo River, Ivory trade, Mau Mau rebellion, and Pastoralism. The Encyclopedia of Africa is sure to become the essential resource in the field.

Drawing upon the public theology of Gary M. Simpson and personal experiences, contributors provide theological perspectives on the ethics and opportunities of twenty-first century Christian mission and envision promising pathways for Christian congregations to faithfully bear social responsibility in contemporary worldwide contexts.