**Title: Africa Rejects Colonial-Style Resource Extraction, Asserts Ghanaian President at UNGA**
**Date: [Insert Date]**
In a powerful address to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama emphasized that Africa will not tolerate a return to colonial-era practices of resource extraction as global demand for critical minerals surges. His statements come amid increasing efforts by the United States and the European Union to secure essential minerals from African nations, including copper, cobalt, and lithium, which are vital for the production of electric vehicles and power grids.
Mahama's remarks highlight a growing concern among African leaders regarding the nature of international partnerships in the mineral sector. He called for structural reforms to rectify historical injustices and ensure that African countries benefit more significantly from their natural resources. "Africa will not remain a passive arena for a new scramble for resources," he stated, reinforcing the need for African nations to process minerals domestically, develop local industries, and retain a larger share of the wealth generated from their resources.
The urgency of Mahama's message is underscored by a UN Trade and Development report released earlier this year, which warned that many existing mineral agreements focus predominantly on extraction. This approach risks depriving resource-rich African countries of the economic benefits that could arise from processing and manufacturing their minerals.
In recent years, several African governments have taken steps to assert greater control over their mineral resources. The Democratic Republic of Congo, for instance, has enacted a ban on the export of copper and cobalt concentrates to promote local processing. Similarly, Zimbabwe suspended the export of raw minerals and lithium concentrates earlier this year.
Ghana has also initiated reforms aimed at enhancing local processing capabilities. As of September 1, the country requires licensed aggregators to refine gold domestically, with Mahama pledging to end the export of raw mineral ores by 2030. Additionally, neighboring Mali established a state body to oversee artisanal gold sales and combat smuggling, while Niger nationalized the Somair uranium venture operated by the French company Orano last year.
Beyond the issue of resource extraction, Mahama reiterated the call for reparations related to the transatlantic slave trade. In his role as the African Union’s champion for this campaign, he noted that Ghana successfully secured a UN resolution in March recognizing the slave trade and chattel slavery as grave crimes against humanity. The resolution passed with 123 votes, although it faced opposition from the United States, Israel, and Argentina, with 52 countries choosing to abstain.
Mahama expressed appreciation for what he termed “positive overtures” from various nations, particularly the Netherlands, Germany, and France, regarding reparatory justice following the historic resolution. However, he stressed that meaningful reparations require more than acknowledgment; they necessitate “structural transformation” to dismantle the ongoing systems of exploitation, including unfair global trade practices, predatory resource extraction, discriminatory credit ratings, and unsustainable debt burdens.
In conclusion, President Mahama asserted that Africa does not seek charity but rather desires equal partnerships in the global economy. His address at the UNGA serves as a clarion call for a reevaluation of the relationships between African nations and their international partners, emphasizing the need for equitable practices that respect the rights and resources of African countries.
As the global demand for critical minerals continues to rise, the stance taken by Mahama and other African leaders may shape the future of resource management and international relations on the continent, ensuring that Africa's wealth benefits its own people first and foremost.