FOSTERING INNOVATIVE AFRICAN MINDS

The life we know today was made possible by two t h i n g s; one is our mineral resources and the other is by what man was able to make out of it. It is truly incredible what we - humans are able to achieve if we put our minds to it. By using our natural r eso u r c es, as well as our creativity, the human race has made c a rs, c o m p u ters, infrastructue and so much more. This is truly groundbreaking. However, unfortunately, although many of these creations were made by making use of Africa's abundant mineral resource s u pp l y , the creations themselves were not made by Africans. For several y e a r s , slavery and colonization had hindered Africans from believing they were capable of great innovations. However, today, things have changed. We - Africans are empowered more than ever before. We have educational o pp ort u n i t i es, and a chance to let our ideas and voices be

     A part of Africa is missing. It is identifiable, yet its indescribable absence ultimately felt. For quite a long time Africa has been shaded in the sphere of industrialization, seen as insignificant to the economic affairs of the World along with other such labels as having little to offer, unintelligent and impoverished this comes particularly from Western prejudices. In the 14 th century, resources development in Africa was on par with Europe and Asia this was so because before industrialization the economy of a continent was determined by the amount of people living in that continent and at that time mineral extraction and utilization was optimal. Unfortunately, between the late 15 th to early 20 th century Africa’s economy had slowly and steadily declined because of incidence like the slave trade-especially crafts men, Colonization, Foreign interference, Corruption and Greed, Civil war -separation of powerful states into factions and the need for self-preservation of those

  INTRODUCTION Africa is naturally endowed with vast mineral resources. It consists of 54 countries with approximately 1.2 billion people in a land area of 30.37 million sq km large enough to contain over seven countries combined .  The U.S., China, India, Japan, Mexico, and many European nations, put together w ill not equate the geographical footprint of Africa. Interestingly, 30% of the world's mineral reserves rest in Africa . Despite these endowments, the continent still suffers from underdevelopment, extreme poverty, volatility , amongst others . In 2020, Africa zoomed into recession with a Gross Domestic Product contraction of 2.1% . Like every other sector, the mineral sector has been hit by the global pandemic; about 30 million Africans were pushed into extreme poverty in 2020 . Against this backdrop, policymakers must consciously work towards actualizing the Africa we want. For this sector, it stems from changing mindsets, promoting local beneficiations, strengthening le

  Question 3.) By 2030, Young Africans are expected to make up 42% of the world’s youth and account for 75% of those under age 35 in Africa. Increasingly, there is an opportunity for the mineral resource sector to play a role in bridging the unemployment gap and repositioning itself as an employer of choice as well as a key job creator on the continent. Suggest ways through which the youth in Africa can harness the mineral resource sector to create opportunities for sustainable economic development.   The exploitation of the mineral resources sector by young Africans to create opportunities for sustainable economic development The mineral resources sector remains an essential opportunity for African youth. The Transparent management and coordination of this field is a necessity for the reduction of unemployment. Young Africans can create jobs in the mineral resources sector. What are the means in order to achieve this goal and to make this possible? The first strategy would be to devel

  HOW THE YOUTH IN AFRICA CAN HARNESS THE MINERAL RESOURCE SECTOR TO CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INTRODUCTION The earth’s crust of Africa is rich in mineral resources. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), about 30% of the world’s mineral reserves are found in Africa, which accounts for over 20% of the global annual production of five key minerals: 80% platinum, 77% cobalt, 51% manganese, 46% diamonds, 39% chromium and 22% gold. Also, out of 54 African countries, 42 are regarded as resource-dependent, 18 are classified as dependent on non-fuel minerals, 10 as dependent on energy or fuel exports, and the rest as dependent on agricultural export.   In the same vein, African Development Bank (AfDB) estimates that Africa’s extractive resources could contribute over USD 30 billion per annum in government revenue for the next 20 years. However, despite the abundance of mineral resources on the continent, most resource-rich African countries