Press Room
Research Project to meet the Challenge of the New Scramble for Africa's Resources
Africa holds nearly 30% of the planet’s mineral reserves, including
40% of its gold, 60% of its cobalt and 90% of the world’s platinum reserves.
The continent is also an increasingly important global oil producer and has the
second largest tropical rain forests in the world. Rather than these resources
being a driver of African development, in many cases their exploitation and
extraction has led to environmental degradation, but also to poor governance,
underdevelopment and conflict.
A second “scramble for Africa”, driven by
the consumptive demands of the major world powers, is underway to extract its
natural resources intensively. It is contributing to the pressing issue of
global energy insecurity and environmental degradation which is already playing
itself out in the oil wells and gas fields of Africa, as well as in its mines
and tropical forests. A future global crisis in energy security will not only
have an economic knock-on effect in Africa; it will have the potential to lead
to military and strategic conflict on the continent.
The Programme Web Pages can be accessed here.
In Memoriam: Professor John Barratt
The Council and Management of SAIIA join in paying tribute to Professor John Barratt who died on the 8th August 2007, after a brave struggle with cancer.Page 6 of 6
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