West Africa: Poor in the Midst of Plenty - the Natural Resource Dilemma in West Africa

18 February 2020
opinion

There is little doubt the West African sub-region is endowed with abundant natural resources. The region is home to some of the best and largest deposit of gold, bauxite,rutile,diamond, timber, oil and gas, iron ore, uranium, coal and rivers. It hosts the Upper Guinea Forest[the Lungs of West and North Africa],with a massive green fortress protecting the region from being overtaken by the Sahara Desert. Then factor in the rich marine resources including, eye popping lobsters, shrimps, crabs, fish in its oceans and the quixotic and scenic beaches, a tourist paradise of sort. These are the many alluring resources to behold in the milieu in focus.

This rich and sprawling natural endowment has always been an attraction and destination of some of the biggest corporations from around the world. There is paradox in the fact that the people and countries in the region are among some of the poorest and least developed in the world. How unfortunate that 'resource curse' ascription remains an ignominious tag on the region.

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