The competition for scarce natural resources and the continued strong growth in global consumption make Africa an attractive continent for the EU and its transnational companies. Raw materials play a key role in industrial competitiveness, especially in new technologies. The EU has the worry of securing access of raw materials such as minerals, fuel and gas which are necessary for energy and to secure the production of goods and new technologies that are more respectful of the environment.

read more

Read more … Raw Materials and Global Consumption

In most African countries the rush for land has been well prepared by the World Bank Group, through its investment promotion agencies that focus on helping investors. They have played an essential role in facilitating land grabbing in developing countries. The World Bank advised in the drafting of bills that would allow investors greater investment mobility. With these benefits provided to foreign investors, it is no surprise that interest in African land markets has increased in recent years.

Read more … The World Bank - a major player in land grabbing

The global need of land and its resources like water, plants, timber or minerals is continually increasing. This leads governments and private investors to look for cheap resource-rich land close to infrastructure. The land is often taken from farmers who are the traditional users. Extractive industries are part of this phenomenon. Concessions are smaller but extraction activities cause ecological catastrophes in the surrounding area and accelerate climate change. As a result, the land seized from local users becomes unusable.

Read more … The exploitation of natural resources and land grabbing

Short animated film about the takeover of nature by financial markets and the real alternatives coming up from the civil society.

Read more … The financialisation of nature

The competition for Africa's natural resources is becoming fiercer. Many natural resources are scarce. Emerging economies such as China, India and Brazil have started rivaling with the EU for them, increasing the competition and having Africa losing out.

Read more … AEFJN Factsheet Natural Resources

According to estimates, every year US$ 1.26 trillion - 1.44 trillion disappears without a trace from developing countries, ending up in tax havens or rich countries. The main part of this is driven by multinational companies seeking to evade tax where they operate. The sum that leaves developing countries each year as unreported financial outflows, amounts to ten times the annual global aid flows and twice the amount of debt developing countries repay each year.

Read more … Capital Flight and its impact on Africa

The East of Congo is still plagued by armed violence caused by many rebel groups. They have succeeded in developing a parallel economic activity by smuggling minerals, including coltan which is in great demand on the global electronics market. The Dodd-Frank Act, requires U.S. companies buying ore from the DRC to establish whether their products contain conflict minerals by submitting their supply chain to careful scrutiny. This has led to a de-facto boycott of Congolese mining products. The EU is now considering if and to what extent it should follow the American example.

Read more … Blood minerals in the Congo: Should the EU follow American legislation?

Chad’s petroleum project stirred up so many hopes for the country’s development, but now, after 8 years in operation, it has become a nightmare. The exploitation of oil has destroyed the local farmers’ production system, depriving them of their living; it is polluting the water, soil and air; it is dividing the people and sowing despair.

From 2004 to 2011, the State’s budget increased from at least 300 billion CFA to more than 1,572,482 billion, but the advantages of this manna are not benefiting the people.  Neither the conditions of life of the 11 million Chadians nor the public services have improved.  The promises made by companies and by the government have not been kept and the World Bank left the country in 2008.

Read more … Oil exploitation in Chad and the local population

The environmental restoration of Ogoniland could prove to be the world's most wide-ranging and long term oil clean-up exercise ever undertake. A major new scientific assessment, carried out by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), shows that pollution from over 50 years of oil operations in the region has penetrated further and deeper than many may have supposed. the report estimates that countering and cleaning up the pollution and catalyzing a sustainable recovery of Ogoniland could take 25 to 30 years.

Read more … Ogoniland Oil Spills clean up will take up to 30 years

Read more … The New Scramble for Africa

Read more … The Logbaba Gas Field in Douala and the concerns of the local residents

Read more … Companies' Tax Evasion in Africa

Read more … The Resource Curse

The EU and its member states are increasingly worried about securing access to raw materials for European companies. Therefore the EU wants to improve the security of supply through multilateral trade agreements at World Trade Organisation (WTO) level and bilateral trade agreements such as the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs). The objective is to use these trade agreements to remove obstacles - like export restrictions or limits on investments - which hinder Europe's access to raw materials in third countries.

Read more … EPAs and the European Raw Materials Initiative

Read more … Greenpeace video on Areva in Niger

Read more … Voluntary Initiatives to enhance Transparency in the Extractive Industries

Read more … The activities of Eni in Congo-Brazzaville

Read more … Oil - Black Gold or Curse?

Read more … The EIB's role in Africa

Read more … Rapport ACI sur l'exploitation minières au Katanga

Read more … Rapport ACI - D’une exploitation artisanale illicite à l’accord entre la RD Congo et le groupe nucléaire français AREVA