By: KandjengokaMkwaanyoka
As an aspiring economic researcher, I once believed that African economies should take full ownership of their resources and have the confidence to determine how and by whom they are extracted.
But I have since come to a sobering realisation: Africa is still being dictated to, told how, when, and by whom its resources should be exploited.
In exchange, we receive a wage, a few cents in taxes, and the label of being “investor-friendly.”
What is more disheartening, as I read about and observe economic developments in southern Africa — including in the DRC and my own country, Namibia — is the misguided and toxic understanding of economic growth embraced by African leaders.
They have been led to believe that economic growth simply means extracting more from the environment to boost GDP figures, with little regard for anything else.
As a result, the GDP of many African countries is dominated by raw material extraction for export. Governments are being pushed to fast-track exploration and mining licenses as the primary means to grow their economies.
Environmental and conservation laws are often disregarded as mining companies are greenlighted to ramp up extraction, with leaders touting economic growth as their only achievement.
Foreign companies are given free rein to explore and extract resources from land, rivers, and oceans — all in the name of increasing GDP.
Meanwhile, African economists are nowhere to be found, and African academics debate in lecture halls while policymakers adopt this toxic model of perpetual extraction.
True economic growth, as explained by Daniel Susskind (IMF, 2024), comes from technological progress — discovering new ways to do things and adding more value to what you already have.
Growth should be about innovation, processing raw materials, and making them more beneficial to humankind.
Unfortunately, Africa is doing the opposite. There is little focus on research, innovation, or start-up funding.
Namibia, like much of the continent, is solely focused on extraction.
The health of their economies depends on how much they can take from the ground, ocean, or forest.
This growth model, imposed by external consultants and advisors, is both toxic and unsustainable.
Namibia’s economy, for instance, relies heavily on diamonds, uranium, copper, and gold.
When these industries slow down, the country’s economic growth stalls. Moreover, the benefits of this growth are not widely shared beyond employment opportunities.
This relentless pursuit of growth comes at a high price — environmental destruction being one of the most obvious consequences.
Namibia is left with numerous unrehabilitated mines, and now mining is moving into conservancies.
In places like the DRC, companies are being granted licenses to mine in national parks.
This happens because African leaders have been convinced that extraction is the only path to economic growth.
What African leaders need to understand is that true growth doesn’t come from using up more finite resources. It comes from finding more productive and innovative ways to use those resources.
They need to shift focus from building infrastructure that leads only to ports for export, and instead invest in processing, research, and adding value to their resources for sustainable and inclusive growth.
Namibian Minister of Agriculture Calle Schlettwein recently wrote that “it appears that economic and money issues are regarded as much more pressing, while environmental concerns are regarded as considerably less important.”
He added that the demand for economic growth far outweighs the need for environmental sustainability.
This is not just about the environment — it’s about the flawed belief that African economies can only grow through extraction.
Namibia exemplifies this, with mining policymakers threatening to revoke licenses if they aren’t utilised.
Without mining, the Namibian economy feels stuck in a cycle, with little effort made to promote entrepreneurship or innovation that could create value beyond raw materials.
Now, every corner of Namibia seems mapped out for exploration and prospecting licenses, so we can extract and ship raw minerals abroad, driving up the GDP figure but doing little for long-term prosperity.
It’s time for African leaders, including those in Namibia, to stop listening to external voices and examine their own GDP data.
What value is truly being created for their people through this model of extraction?
Boasting about being the top exporter of raw minerals should be a thing of the past.
The future lies in discovering and nurturing new drivers of economic growth — drivers that are sustainable and truly benefit the people.
gerastus16@gmail.com
