Industrialization, Mineral Resources and Energy in Africa

ed. Dakar : CODESRIA, 1992. vi 340 p. (CODESRIA Books Series) ISBN : 2-86978-015-X

Africa is a continent rich in mineral and energy resources. But there is no escaping the alarming conclusion that these resources have been over-exploited in the interests of foreign accumulation. Most African countries are heavily dependent on mineral and oil earnings to run their production systems and pay for consumer imports. How have these mining and oil royalties failed to release them from this dependence? This book presents nine case studies of countries whose economies are based essentially on mineral resources. Using a critical and analytical approach African researchers highlight the capacity for capital goods production and the priorities for any development process aimed at an enhanced industrial integration and greater technological autonomy. The book is a major contribution to the debate on development and industrialisation in Africa not least because of the information and data it contains, in whose absence development policies will only stagnate in theoretical shells.