Environment ministers from around the world have agreed on a new plan to promote accountability in the use of natural resources found in Africa.
The resolution was agreed on Wednesday at the ongoing second UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-2) holding in Nairobi, Kenya from 23 to 27 May.
The resolution, which was sponsored by Botswana and by the ministers, provides impetus to efforts to ensure proper accountability for the abundant mineral resources in Africa.
Speaking to reporters, Uganda’s Environment minister Ephraim Kamuntu, said: “We do not have the capacity to monitor the exploitation of our natural resources, so we have to devise a strategy to ensure accountability for their proper exploration and usage.”
Kamuntu said the ministerial resolution on the protection of Africa’s natural resources demonstrated for the first time a renewed sense of urgency to end the plundering of Africa’s natural wealth.
He added: “We owe it to ourselves and we are going to do it.”
Also, African ministers at the conference stressed the need to use existing mechanisms such as the Gaborone Declaration on Sustainability in Africa to effectively manage Africa’s natural resources to fight poverty and promote sustainable development.
They also said with the decline in foreign aid and other assistance to Africa, it is imperative to look inwards to fund domestic needs of African countries.
“The major challenge for Africa is energy and youth unemployment,” said Jimmy Opelo, Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Environment in Botswana.
Opelo said Botswana, which has been reliant on the diamonds as its key source of revenue, has been keen to diversify the sources of economic growth and environmental conservation.
“We have indicated that we are developing new mechanisms. We have developed a national strategy for the development of our natural wealth. It is for Africa to consider these important aspects, and also Africa needs anything and everything to ensure proper exploitation and management of its resources,” he told reporters at the conference.
Other ministers also emphasized the need to strengthen the management of natural resources at both national and regional levels, in order to reverse the losses incurred by over-exploitation and mismanagement of Africa’s minerals.
The conference also recognized Africa’s huge mineral potential and agreed that the resources could only be managed effectively, if national institutions are restructured and reformed.
Key among recommended for reforms is the need to stop illegal mining, degradation of ecosystems, soil erosion and enhancing investments in environmental protection and management.
The UNEA-2 attracted 2,500 delegates, including 130 environment ministers and several members of parliament from around the world, among other participants.
Photo credit: Global research
