6. ETIANG TIMOTHY GEORGE

 Etiang Timothy George

  1. Introduction

It is now renown that Africa has the youngest population in the world with 70% of sub-Saharan Africa under the age of 30. However, what is uncommon is that it is the only Continent with a growing youth population. This very fact highlights the importance of the youth getting acquainted with politics, leadership, society, and so on because they play a vital role in the sustainable growth and development of any economy. 

In the mineral resource sector, the youth must play a role because Africa has been placed in a position of financing the next industrial revolution. Aside from the precious metals and stones that can be found in Africa, the transition of the world from fossil fuels to renewable energy further advances the position of the mineral sector in Africa. This is because the battery minerals that are meant to power this next age of the world are mainly rested in Africa with 70% of cobalt production coming from DRC, 80% of manganese resources are in South Africa, Mozambique and Tanzania have significant reserves of graphite, to mention but a few.

However, the youth are the ones that will fully live in this imminent digital, clean energy economy yet Africa still carries a mantle of the continent with the most people living under poverty as well as the dependence on foreign aid and export of raw materials. A burden has automatically been put on the youth to create opportunities for sustainable economic development so that they can live in the future that they envision. To make that vision a reality, the following ideas can be improved and implemented across the countries on the continent to achieve the Africa we want.

B. Mechanisms of Harnessing the Mineral Resource Sector

  1. High-Quality Education and Skills 

For the youth to firstly envision this bright future in the mineral sector, there ought to be a level of training and education that goes a long way in opening up the mind of a person. Education is critical because it is the means through which a person will be capable of acquiring knowledge and skill in a given field. Through knowledge, there can be productive youth engagement through discussions on new ideas and technologies that can be incorporated into the industry. Additionally, skills can be acquired through the utilisation of practical learning through mentorship so that young people are actually more involved in helping the mining industry innovate.  The continent’s working age population is estimated to reach 1 billion by 2040 making it the largest in the world surpassing even China and India. The impact of this type of training is a dominant force of highly skilled human capital not only sustaining the continent but the world at large. 

  1. Embracing the Start-up Culture.

Sectors that are finding their foundation for growth and development are fertile ground for new ideas and innovations to be tested and implemented. These ideas are usually founded based on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics). The biggest advantage that the youth carry on the African continent is the freshness and uniqueness of their ideas. The start-up culture provides space for the development of these cutting-edge and meaningful working environments. 

This idea becomes more realistic given the various strategies that exist to encourage youth-centered developments such as the UN Youth Strategy for Africa that is focused on enhancing sustainable entrepreneurship education and skills development, improving access to finance so that youth can innovate, facilitating technology exchange and innovation so that the youth can learn and grow not only from each other but also the experienced adults, to mention but a few. Such opportunities are areas which the youth can enter into and exploit for the benefit of the Mineral Resource Sector in Africa. 

  1. Increased Leadership Activity

This would call for direct youth involvement in leadership roles such as Youth Advisory Boards, organisations, and the like. The advantage that this brings is the youth take the lead on what they want to see implemented instead of having their needs assumed by an older person. The youth are also placed in a position where they learn due to constant engagement with senior staff as they not only strive to address youth interests but also partake in capacity training and building experiences. 

In Agenda 2063’s Aspiration 6, the youth are mentioned as the cornerstone of the plan’s achievement. The African Union has further responded by initiating numerous flagship programmes aimed at empowering the youth and bringing the continental organisation’s ideals closer to this demographic. This support should therefore encourage the youth in the Mining Sector to make claim to their own development.

  1. Conclusion

The SDGs, Agenda 2063, UN Youth Strategy for Africa, among others, all show that the youth are being welcomed and encouraged to take hold of their own future and development. There was definitely a time where leadership was seen as a privilege for only the most senior members of society. The times are however showing that it will only be an excuse for a young person to not actively take part in achieving the Africa that they want.

References

Jason Mulikita, “Young People’s Potential, the Key to Africa’s Sustainable Development.” https://www.un.org/ohrlls/news/young-people%E2%80%99s-potential-key-africa%E2%80%99s-sustainable-development 

 United Nations Youth Strategy for Africa, 2019-2022 Accessed at https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/30849/YouthStrategyAfrica.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y 


Antonio M.A. Pedro, “Critical materials and sustainable development in Africa,” One Earth, Volume 4, Issue 3 Accessed at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S259033222100124X 


Angel Gurria, “Harnessing Africa’s Resources for Sustainable and Inclusive Growth,” 12th International Economic Forum on Africa. Accessed at https://www.oecd.org/about/secretary-general/harnessingafricasresourcesforsustainableandinclusivegrowth.htm


Naadiya Moosajee, “Engaging Youth in the Mining Sector: Opportunity for Prosperity,” Accessed at https://www.commdev.org/blogs/engaging-youth-in-the-mining-sector-opportunity-for-prosperity/


Angel Gurria, FN 3

 Naadiya Moosajee, FN 4

United Nations Youth Strategy for Africa, FN 2


Lennon Monyae, “Incorporating Africa’s youth into the AU and UN development goals,” Accessed at https://www.africaportal.org/features/incorporating-africas-youth-into-the-au-and-un-developmental-goals/ 

Popular posts from this blog

1. ADAJI UFEDO-OJO - 1ST PLACE WINNER

Image
  INTRODUCTION The African Bush Elephant weighs 6000kg and is considered the largest existing land animal on the face of the earth because it possesses features of greater capacity than any other species. They are kept in zoos and as a means of restriction, zookeepers strap one end of a thin metal chain to the elephant’s leg and attach the other end to a wooden peg hammered to the ground. It is logically impossible that a mere chain would restrict the herculean animal capable of deracinating a big tree as easily as you could break a toothpick. In reality, the mighty mammal succumbs to its imprisonment without rebellion. This is because from its days as a calf the same restraining methods were used to domesticate it and now that it is fully grown it is unaware of the power it possesses and thus remains limited not by tangible constraints but by cognitive impairment of a fixed mindset. In the same vein, despite being the second-largest mineral industry in the world with 19% of the world’
Read more

2. GIDEON NWANKWO - 2ND PLACE WINNER

Image
HARNESSING AFRICA’S MINERAL RESOURCES FOR SUSTAINABLE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT  1.0 Introduction Once upon a time, the richest human being in all history lived in Africa. He went by the name Mansa Musa and he ruled over the Malian Empire in the 13 th century. Mansa’s wealth came from mining salt and gold deposits in the Malian kingdom. He developed ancient cities like Timbuktu and transformed the Malian empire into a sophisticated centre of attraction. But where is that Mali today? She is standing pathetically among the least developed nations in the dark corner of global ignominy extending her arms desperately for aids from foreigners. Just like Mali, several African countries are endowed with substantial amount of mineral resources that have not translated to improved standard of living for the larger population – a situation which conventional literatures termed “resource curse.” This essay examines the causes of this unfortunate situation and proffers strategic solutions that will
Read more