FRANCIS N. BOTCHWAY (ed.), Natural Resource Investment and Africa's Development. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 2011, xii + 529 pp., ISBN 9781848446793, £150 (hbk)
| Date | 01 October 2012 |
| Author | Kofi Oteng Kufuor |
| DOI | 10.3366/ajicl.2012.0047 |
| Pages | 483-485 |
| Published date | 01 October 2012 |
Institutions for the extraction and management of natural resources are crucial for Africa's development. In the absence of industrial might and a well-developed services sector, the natural resources in Africa will form the basis of the income of governments and individuals for some time to come. Thus any study that explores the interface between natural resources, investment and Africa's development is welcome. The study of resource extraction has assumed even greater importance in the wake of a number of African countries becoming oil-producing economies. Also there is an argument in the literature that, as countries become resource-rich, particularly oil-resource-rich, they tend to ignore the strictures of good governance, with severe consequences for their citizens.
The collection of essays edited by Francis Botchway in
Abba Kolo's chapter stresses the importance of sustainable development of natural resources; Kolo sees sustainable development as being vital when opening up Africa to penetration by foreign investment. However, what is of significance in this chapter and also cries out for further study is the allusion to the issue of access to natural resources as being at...
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