Enhancement of the contribution of precious and semi-precious minerals produced by small -scale mining operations to the economic progress of Africa

Abstract

It is generally agreed that mineral resources constitute the hedrock of industrial development and economic progress. It is also known and proved that Africa abounds in mineral resources the exploitation of which has not yet fully yielded the expected results with regard to the economic progress of the continent. Without doubt, one of the reasons for this situation is that the development, especially large-scale development, of these mineral resources is completely dominated by transnational corporations whose interest are remote from those of the region.