Mining- Resources of African countries.

Africa is rich in natural resources, which is a resource-rich continent. A local journalist from Uganda Emmanuel Katto also known as Emmanuel Katto Uganda or Emka Uganda. He gives me more insight into Africa regarding the resources. 

Africa is incredibly rich in natural resources. It contains a natural gas reserve of gas and oil which is 10% of the world’s total oil reserve. 

 

It has a vast reserve for minerals such as gold, diamonds, platinum, copper, iron ore and uranium. As said that this continent is a significant producer of oil and natural gas unlike Nigeria, Angola and Algeria which are the leading producers of the same. 

 

According to recent reports around 200 million hectares of land in the sub-Saharan region comprises uncultivated lands that can be put to use which will boost the economy of Africa in production. 

This continent is also home to vast timber production due to its forest area, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Cameroon and Gabon are leading in timber production. Botswana is home to gem diamond, which is a local producer in Africa, that focus on export and is one of the largest suppliers of diamonds its competitor is Angola but the quality of diamond from Botswana is rare and hard to find. 

Tanzania is the fourth richest country in Africa that produces around 10% of Africa’s total gold. Tanzanite mineral is also found in Tanzania which adds up to 58 billion dollars in the country’s economy. 

 

Nigeria is the biggest producer of oil producers in the world which is in Africa. Natural resources such as natural gas, tin, iron ore, coal, limestone, zinc etc. are found in Nigeria. Nigeria contributes around 10% to the country’s GDP. 

 

Angola, a country in Africa is the richest country in the world in terms of natural resources, reserves of petroleum, diamond, copper, gold and magnesium. According to the reports around 1.5 barrels of oil is produced in a day in Angola. Research also shows that Angola’s economy is one of the largest growing economies in the world. 

 

As we have seen that Africa has a tremendous mineral reserve, but despite having so much of possibilities and being rich in resources, the people are poor here. Due to the government system, terror and political instability the country’s development is hindered. There is a need to build collaborative support from government and other international bodies along with community engagement to stabilize the normal condition in Africa concerning terror, political instability and other factors so that there will be no barrier on Africa’s way to development. 

Agriculture in Africa: Some crucial points to Ponder.

You may have heard about Africa and about its agricultural activities which support its economy, it employs a significant portion of the population. A local journalist from Uganda, whose named Emmanuel Katto also known as Emmanuel Katto Uganda or Emka Uganda,  he will tell us some of the crucial points regarding agriculture in Africa. 

 

As we know that Africa is a resource-rich country, where agriculture is also a primary activity. It is a crucial sector in Africa where the majority of the workforce is engaged in farming-related activities. It contributes significantly to the country’s GDP and provides a livelihood for rural communities. 

 

The average economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa is frequently outpaced by that of the world. According to IMF, the total GDP of the region estimated is $2 trillion in 2022 with a forecast to rise to $2.9 by 2026. 

 

In a recent report, scientists at the National Agriculture Research Institute in Uganda are turning farming waste into biodegradable seedling pots, such initiatives also play a vital role in reducing plastic waste. These seedlings will help in sustaining nutrients back to the roots of the plants. The bag is a bio-degradable bag that will not harm the environment. 

 

Africa is also well known for its agricultural products. It is known for its coffee production which is a high-quality coffee beans known as Arabica coffee beans. Ghana and Nigeria are the prominent producers of cocoa, which is a key ingredient in chocolate and confectionary products. 

 

Many agricultural products such as maize, banana, mango, pineapple, rice, millets, sorghum, cashew nuts etc are produced in Africa. 

 

Kenya, Tanzania and Malawi are famous for their tea production. Africa is also famous for palm oil production, Nigeria and Ghana are famous for palm oil production. Like these resources, there are more agricultural products that Africa produces. 

 

Since the whole world is facing the issue of climate change, as it has impacted agricultural production as well in Africa. But Africa has shown a potential in the output of the agricultural production and if adequate measures are taken by the government in tackling the climate change issue then things will be restored as well as the agricultural life will be back to normal.

What stopping Africa in developing in 21st Century?

You may have heard or read a lot of things about Africa, but today I will share with you some key information regarding what’s happening in Africa in recent times and its development.

The history of a nation is quite important because it actually forms the pillar or base for its development. Many of you might be aware of the history of Africa, and many of you might not.

Well, think about the continent that has abundant resources or the continent that is rich in resources and is habituated by the poorest people. We can see the slavery system in the history of Africa; this continent was in the net of colonialism. The Portuguese were the first to use Africa’s slaves for sugar plantation purposes on the coast of West Africa, gaining more output and production. This has created a legacy of inequality, exploitation, and even corruption at large, whose footprint can be seen in today’s era as well. Although people pay little interest when the talk is about history, it is a crucial element for any country. Africa has a type of barbaric history consisting of slavery, torture, trafficking, exploitation, etc.

A country’s development is measured by its per capita income, but when we look at the per capita income of Uganda, according to a recent report, the average monthly income of people in Uganda is on average $63–$64. Which is comparatively very low as compared to other developing countries in the world.

Factors such as corruption, political instability, poverty, lack of infrastructure, innovation, inequality, and unemployment, which is at a high rate in the countries of Africa, the literacy rate is also quite low, at just around 79% in Uganda, followed by an average of 71.25% in Madagascar and around 75% in Rwanda, which is also a slow pace in terms of development.

The GDP is also quite low in Africa; there is a steady rise in the GDP of Uganda by 1.3%, followed by approximately 3.8% of the overall GDP in 2022, which is quite slow and hinders the growth of such a resource-rich nation.

Although in recent times many international non-profits have collaborated with the government to make a positive impact on the development of the nation, strategic methods for reducing poverty and unemployment, bringing innovation, and making things more transparent can be a possibility or a necessity to make a positive impact in Africa.

Emmanuel Katto | Poverty in Africa

 A country is marked as developed, developing and underdeveloped based on many factors. Country’s per capita income, GDP or NFIA (Net Factor Income from Abroad) and export and import are the crucial factors that actually measures this. Although Africa is very rich in natural resources and minerals such as gold, diamond and uranium etc. exist here.

Now the question arises despite having so much of resources why Africa is poor? The answer is due to corruption, lack of management system, people here do not have access to healthcare and of course education. These are some of the parameters of development which Africa lacks basically. Since Africa is exporting to UK, South Africa and many other countries as well but it is poor just because of above listed reasons.

Due to several reason said above large population of the countries are falling on below poverty line, the vast population of the country just live on $2 on daily basis. Talking about the poverty in Uganda even it is worse here. Only about 21.4% of the population is living below national poverty line. Several factors are common in Uganda as well like, limited access to education, corruption, political instability and lack of management etc. causing these nations to be poor.

Emmanuel Katto who is well-known entrepreneur and a business leader, his views also expressed positive thoughts and optimistic view in eradicating poverty from Uganda. He also expresses for the eradication of poverty from other counties of Africa as well. Emmanuel Katto is himself was and still working in order to create more business ideas in order to generate employment for the workforce in Uganda and other countries as well.

Despite all the concerns of poverty efforts are being made by the government of Uganda to address the poverty of the country along with some international non-profit organisations, working together in order to reduce poverty and to promote sustainable development across the country.