Natural Resource Management and Human Security in Africa
Publisher: Oxford Scholarship Online
Author(s): Ademola Abass
Date: 2010
Topics: Governance
This chapter ties together the multi-dimensional links between natural resources management and human security in Africa. The central argument is that for human security to be well established in the continent, crucial issues linked to the ownership, management, and control of the continent's natural resource endowment have to be taken into consideration and the various conflicts they have caused have to be addressed. It also argues that the success of the various international efforts to address the effective management of Africa's natural resources will only be successful if the structures for managing these resources at the local and national levels are reorganized and made to appreciate the multiplicity of factors underlining various layers of governance in each of the countries. The chapter is organized into six sections. Section 1 looks at the structure currently in place to manage natural resources on the continent and the extent to which this addresses the needs of the population. Section 2 discusses human security issues that have emerged as a result of the existing governance structures, while Section 3 focuses on the human security implications of the conflicts that are rooted in natural resource governance. Section 4 discusses the international initiatives to address human security concerns related to natural resource governance and the extent of their attendant success. Section 5 interrogates the initiatives being undertaken by African organizations to ensure that the continent's natural resource endowments become blessings rather than a curse, while Section 6 concludes the discussions.