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#TheBookOnAfricanMining
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@LeonLouw3
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www.miningmirror.co.za
A
frican countries are in a precarious space.
They are unwillingly (or willingly) drawn
into an international environment where
protectionism and populist politics (and policies)
are gaining strength with every new tweet or
insult. Voters around the globe seem to like (and
share) radical utterances with more verve every
day, while moderate governments are fighting an
almost futile battle to maintain democracy and
rule of law.
While the social media wars rage on, the
Fourth Industrial Revolution is knocking on the
door, adding fuel to the fire. So, who do we have
to quench the fires? African leaders who cut their
teeth as freedom fighters during colonial times,
when the most radical technology was a better
version of the last Kalashnikov. In the meantime,
the affluent elite, the growing bourgeoisie, and the
twitterati are having a field day — and the best
counterpunch is claims of fake news. The upper
echelons of African society do like sharing, but do
they, and the leaders that represent them, really
care about the ballooning proletariat and poverty?
Do they care about the unemployed and the fact
that technology is bound to make it even harder
for people on the fringes of society to become a
part of a country’s mainstream economy? Will
they find, and share, solutions on social media?
Poverty, unemployment, poor education,
inadequate access to health care facilities,
corruption, and atrocious local governance have
wrecked the development of rural communities
across Africa. Most of them have been force-fed
a good dose of imperialist, colonialist, and then
Fanonist, socialist, or Marxist propaganda over
the past 50 or 60 years. In many cases (I say many,
because there are exceptions to the rule), a free
market, capitalism, private sector expansionism,
and foreign direct investment (especially from ‘the
West’), are all enemy number one.
In isolated regions, nobody has ever cared about
these communities. In fact, I’ll be surprised if
governments (or Facebook, or any other private
sector investor for that matter) are even aware of
their existence. They lead a simple, subsistence life,
totally unaware of what is trending or what is hot
(or not) on Instagram. These communities have
strong social bonds, are more egalitarian than any
of us urban dwellers can ever imagine, and are
ruled by paramount chiefs.
It is into this world that a CEO steps when
a company decides to look for, or to mine, a
rich ore body in Africa. So, if you are a CEO
and you don’t like sharing, you will get your
fingers burnt — so, don’t go. If you do, don’t
share too much, as shareholders and investors
will delete your profile, but share enough to
keep the youth and the twitterati in your host
country happy. Most importantly, share your
knowledge and create job opportunities for
locals. Don’t automate, because in every single
African country, the most pressing problem is
unemployment. You can like automation, but
don’t use it, especially if labour unions are strong.
Like unions more than politicians or technology,
and make sure their representatives are rewarded
with a few chairs on the board (and a few Cuban
cigars when dividends double). If you don’t
like #buildingroads, or #schools, #railways, or
#harbours for that matter, reconsider — because
it is complicated. Shun corruption but keep
government officials happy. Make sure to have
an environmental rehabilitation and closure plan,
and tick each and every box. But most of all,
remember to mine your ore body. And mine it at a
#profit! And don’t forget to pay #taxes!
Leon
Editor
FEBRUARY 2019 MINING MIRROR [5]