Africa’s minerals for development: the role of transformational leadership

Abstract

The link between mineral endowment and economic growth has been debated for years. While many scholars have argued that developing countries depending mainly on primary commodities for export earnings have experienced relatively slow rates of economic growth, more recent studies suggest that, between 2000 and 2012, mineral resource-exporting countries in sub-Saharan Africa experienced faster growth than countries not exporting minerals. There were no corresponding improvements in social indicators for those countries, however. Whereas Africa has in general not been able to leverage its resources to benefit its people and transform their lives, some countries endowed with minerals, such as Botswana, have been able to use minerals to induce economic growth and reduce poverty. This paper focuses on mineral resources in the form of solid minerals and hydrocarbons (crude oil, natural gas and coal) and occasionally uses the term “minerals” to refer to all forms of minerals.