As governments, industry leaders, and civil society convene at the High-Level Conference on Governance, Critical Minerals, and Conflict in Africa in Accra, Ghana, a key issue on the agenda is the critical mineral wealth of Africa.
This wealth is integral to the continent’s economic transformation, offering both significant opportunities and complex challenges.
The Chief Executive Officer of Triple A Group, Dr Atong Juac Amos says South Sudan aims to establish itself as an appealing destination for mining investment.
She highlighted the improvements in security, the increasing confidence of investors, and the initiatives to enhance women’s participation in the sector
“The narrative have changed, not like before, whereby it was like a male dominated sector or a male dominated government. We’ve seen like lots of improvement in terms of women participation, though it’s not enough.”
While challenges remain, Amos says the country is entering a new phase of development.
“Well, South Sudan is a post-conflict country. We’ve been through lots of insecurities, problems, but we are already past that. It’s a very peaceful country right now, and there’s been a lot of developments lately. We’ve seen a lot of investors coming in too. And I advocate that it gets to confirm to you that South Sudan is a new country.”
Meanwhile, Dr Christian Pout of the African Centre for International, Diplomatic, Economic and Strategic Studies in Cameroon says African countries must transform their mineral wealth into a driver of sustainable development.
“Yes, I think Africa is at the crossroads, and there are huge threats and also huge opportunities. And this conference gave us the opportunity to focus on the opportunities. And I think the first opportunity lies on understanding geopolitics and geoeconomics of our current world. It gives us the opportunity to work on our leverage, to really see where our comparative advantages lie, and to mobilize ourselves, not just as civil society, but also as civil society.”
Dr Pout highlighted some of the developments taking place in Cameroon , pointing to the country’s efforts to leverage its resources and create opportunities for economic growth.
“Cameroon has adopted a development strategy, which is called the National Strategy SND 30. It is all about capital, human capital, transformative economy. And transformative economy cannot be achieved without transforming our minerals, transforming our raw materials, and it is focusing on agriculture.”
–Innocent Semosa–
