Why have many Africans remained the poorest in the world despite their continent’s development potential and the plethora of untapped mineral wealth? Among Africanists, no pastime is more common than the debate over Africa’s impoverishment.
In response to a sharp escalation of intercommunal violence, South Sudan launched a civilian disarmament campaign in July 2020 to counter the proliferation of small arms. Rather than quelling the violence, this coercive campaign risks deepening South Sudan’s pervasive insecurity. Past attempts at civilian disarmament have repeatedly led to violent clashes between communities being disarmed and an abusive security sector, while geographically staged, incomplete disarmament efforts have often escalated intercommunal violence. Further, this approach does nothing to address the demand factors driving proliferation, leading communities to re-arm following the completion of disarmament exercises.
The construction of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) has led to immense
advancements in Lesotho’s energy sector and economy while also providing valuable water resources to South Africa. Unfortunately, this project’s construction has left many citizens of Lesotho displaced over the last couple of decades. Of those impacted, women suffer at disproportionate rates from food insecurity and financial instability caused by the construction of the LHWP. To mitigate the negative externalities of the LHWP, policymakers should make gender equality a focal point when enacting laws and promoting small-scale irrigation projects.
Limited access to Ethiopia’s restive Tigray region has curtailed aid workers’ ability to operate there, leaving residents, including millions of children, cut off from essential services. Meanwhile, a slowly waning media blackout means it is near impossible for journalists to confirm details about the fighting, and the needs of residents in areas impacted by battles and airstrikes. Information about the situation in Tigray instead comes via the thousands of refugees who have poured over the Sudanese border in recent months, but their harrowing stories cannot be verified.
The global trade network of raw materials has been subject to much research and discussion. This paper links the history of the Guinean Bauxite mine, known as the Sangaredi Mine, to the distribution of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. This linkage serves as a case study which speaks to the more extensive dialogue of exploitative resource mining and global health inequity. The COVID-19 virus and vaccine amplify the neo-colonial legacy affecting Guinea’s economic health and the well-being of its population. The linkage highlighted in this paper serves as an essential avenue to discuss long-standing policies rooted in economic inequity.
Why have many Africans remained the poorest in the world despite their continent’s development potential and the plethora of untapped mineral wealth? Among Africanists, no pastime is more common than the debate over Africa’s impoverishment.
Working with Africa, not on Africa
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