How to avoid the resource curse & promote local development

Dr Marianne S. Ulriksen

By Dr. Marianne S. Ulriksen

Many African countries have, or are about to have, access to natural resource wealth. The assumption is that wealth from resources should benefit the country as a whole. Yet access to natural resources such as oil, gas and minerals can be accompanied by a resource curse, where local markets are distorted and corrupt behaviour seeps out the country’s wealth.
Too many countries experience extreme levels of corruption and misuse of funds while broad-based developments, especially in rural areas, are inadequate and many people are poor. This is a persistent predicament in many African contexts. Breaking this cycle requires radical changes, and what follows is a radical but plausible proposal which I hope can stimulate a constructive debate.

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