Page 69 - Nigeriaone mag 2 edition en

The mining industry has a promising future ahead important. We have seen that during the health
of it. To deny it to the people would be unfair. In crisis, this is the sector that has been the most
West Africa, the surge in gold prices offers hope. In resilient, because the revenues of these mining
fact, despite COVID and the political instability of companies have been regular, they have innovated
the producing countries, the gold sector is going and mining has continued. The high price of gold
strong. kept the government’s budget going during the
Lamine Seydou Traoré, Mali’s Minister of Mines, pandemic.”
sums up the situation in a particularly enlightening The host country of the summit, South Africa, relies
way: “The mining sector has continued to fulfill its 70% on coal. Furthermore, the social divide is
role as a provider of funds, with the sector widespread throughout the country and the
contributing more than 450 billion CFA francs to unemployment rate peaks at 35%, making it one of
the national budget by 2021.” Gold production has the highest in Africa. From this perspective, how
been totally spared by the political events that have can we serenely consider abandoning coal
taken place in Mali: putsch and closure of land completely by 2050 without causing major
borders imposed by ECOWAS in particular. economic and social unrest?
In the country of honest men, an additional 16 tons It is not adequate for Westerners to repeat
of gold should be produced this year. Gold remains incantatory formulas about saving the planet; they
the leading export product and has been for 13 must also take into account the economic
years. Moïse Ouedraogo, Secretary-General of the constraints that this may represent for economies
Ministry of Mines and Quarries of Burkina Faso, that have not experienced either an industrial
rightly points out: “Gold relieves the country’s revolution or the emergence of a middle class
finances and today represents about 400 billion in synonymous with prosperous consumer society.
tax revenues per year. This is very

Cape Town in South Africa

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