AU ministers responsible for mineral resources development to meet in Addis Ababa

Abstract

The Department of Trade and Industry of the African Union Commission and the Regional Integration and Trade Division of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) are organizing the Second African Union Conference of Ministers Responsible for Mineral Resources Development, to be held on 12 -16 December 2011. The theme of the Conference to be held at the Conference Hall of the African Union Commission is “Building a Sustainable Future for Africa’s Extractive Industry: From Vision to Action”. According to the organizers, Africa possesses massive mineral resources and has a long history of mining, but galvanizing development across the continent has seen little progress. In 2009 the Africa Mining Vision (AMV) adopted by the AU Heads of State and Government provided a diagnosis of the problem. At the December meeting, a new comprehensive report, Minerals and Africa’s Development that has recently been published will accompany the AMV and serve as a major resource. It is expected to form a template for an action plan agreed at the Conference. A key problem, according to the AMV, is that much large-scale mining in Africa is still conducted in enclaves. Moreover, it is cut off economically and socially from the host countries. With nearly all minerals and much of the revenue being shipped out of the Continent, there is little opportunity for African economies to develop. The situation has changed little since colonial times.