In partnership with the Commonwealth Business Council and UK Trade & Investment, Mining On Top: Africa – London Summit; Sharing the benefits of the commodity boom – will bring together key government officials, senior mining representatives, investors and service providers to create a greater understanding and improve the social and economic outcomes of African mining.
Addis Ababa, 28 May 2013 (ECA) - Africa’s natural resources could dramatically improve the lives of millions - but while natural resources may have fuelled a decade of rapid economic growth on the continent, most Africans have still not seen the benefits, according to this year’s Africa Progress Report presented to African leaders and policy-makers during the AU summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Africa is well endowed with mineral resources and has a long history of mining, but has so far not reaped the developmental benefits from these resources. This is largely due to the weak integration of Africa’s mining sector into national economic and social activities.
Moving to more sustainable consumption and production (SCP) is at the heart of sustainable development, and international cooperation is essential to effect that transition. Recognizing this, governments at the Johannesburg Summit in 2002 called for the development of a 10-year framework of programmes (10-YFP) in support of regional and national initiatives to accelerate the shift towards SCP patterns that would promote social and economic development within the carrying capacity of ecosystems.