The Regent of Abagana and a former Presidential aspirant, Dr. Nwachukwu Anakwenze, has commended African nations for rising to stop the exploitation and export of their strategic minerals by nationals of foreign countries.
In a statement by his Director General/Spokesman, Comrade Eric Oluwole, Anakwenze said AU’s latest move was in line with his long-term call for the stoppage of foreign nationals who have for years been operating unjustly and illegally to recolonise and further impoverish Africa.
According to him, these foreign nationals have been combing many African nations endowed with mineral deposits especially gold, cobalt, lithium and rare earths, among several others, exploiting, and exporting these usually in connivance with corrupt state officials, and unscrupulous local businessmen.
During a regional climate summit recently in Addis Ababa, African Union (AU), which is the umbrella body for all African countries, had announced plans to form a coalition of mineral-producing nations. This is to secure a stronger bargaining position in the fast-growing market for critical minerals, and .reshape global supply chains for green technologies.
Also, AU declared that the planned coalition would also support on-site refining, manufacturing, and industrialisation.
This announcement by the AU to promote “strategic and sustainable regional cooperation” while supporting local value chains, as part of Africa’s Green Minerals Strategy, is a remarkable step by African nations to take control over their extractive resources and economic potential which for long have been subject of external exploitation, domination and control.
Remarkably, African countries are endowed with minerals like gold, cobalt, lithium, coltan and rare earth elements, which are essential for producing jewelry, batteries, wind turbines and electric vehicles., among others.
However, African countries have been sidelined by foreign nationals who often exploit and export their raw materials unprocessed, with little or no economic benefits to local populations or the governments.
Praising the AU for taking this bold step, Anakwenze, an ex-Presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, said, “It is highly commendable that African nations have now taken a meaningful step to stop the unjust exploitation of our mineral resources with which we were uniquely endowed, by nationals of foreign countries.”
Anakwenze said this is what he has been preaching on National Television and other media for African countries, especially Nigeria, to exploit and process their own mineral resources themselves without the interference of foreigners.
His words, “Notably, I have for long been calling attention of governments of African countries to the ongoing unjust and illegal mining by foreeign nationals, of the mineral deposits that our countries were naturally endowed with.
“A sad case is that of Nigeria where for many years, foreign nationals, especially Chinese, have been combing, and operating in many Nigerians states including Osun, Zamfara and many others, to illegally and unjustly exploit our gold mineral deposits, and prospect for other minerals with which many Nigerian states are naturally endowed.
“These illegal miners of our mineral deposits usually operate in connivance with corrupt, dubious, and unscrupulous state officials to evade security, perpetrate illegality and unjustly and illegally exploit our mineral resources to the detriment of the future of our nation and children.
“The AU deserves special accolades and commendation for its latest announcement of the plan to end this illegal operation by foreign nationals on the soil of Africa, which is like ending the unjust recolonisation of Africa.”
