AFRICA - African resources, focus of “Workshop: Media and Africa”

Rome (Agenzia Fides) - “God forbid they find oil in our country." This is the sentence written by an African journalist during the "Workshop: Media and Africa," summing up the perception of the African people on the bad use of their material resources of the continent, which has transformed from blessing into curse, especially due to the serious environmental damage caused by mining activities.
The theme of the competition among global powers in the hoarding of African resources and the impact of this new "scramble for Africa" on the continent's development were the focus of the workshop, sponsored by the Institute for International Policy Studies (ISPI ) and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The seminar, held in Rome on October 13, was attended by several journalists and experts in African issues.
The discussion showed that, due to the fact that traditional Western partners in Africa are faced with increasing competition of other powers (ranging from China to India, from Russia to Brazil), African countries can negotiate more advantageous contracts in handing over their natural resources. However, there is still the problem of corruption among the African ruling elite, which undermines the possibility of using the "royalties" of mining concessions to improve the conditions of the population and diversify African economies which are still too dependent on monocultures and the mining sector alone.
In several African countries, there is however an emerging civil society that is asking its own leaders to give accounts of financial resources gained from the exploitation of minerals and oil. Among the most active in this field are several bishops' conferences and individual bishops such as Archbishop Michael Russell, Bishop of Doba in Chad, who through Fides launched an appeal asking that African resources be used to improve the living conditions of its inhabitants (see Fides 10/6/2010).
Africa, a continent in turmoil, whose population has recently exceeded one billion inhabitants, has a huge economic potential, yet untapped. Most of its natural resources in fact have not yet been taken advantage of (see Fides 10/26/2009). The arrival of new economic partners could change that. However, as pointed out in the final conclusions of the seminar, including in the point of South-South cooperation, Africa is likely to remain the junior partner, as it has yet to do some “catching-up,” even in comparison to Asian and South American partners. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 14/10/2010)