Transforming extractive resources that are most often not inexhaustible into enduring prosperity is an endeavour that requires a great deal of transparency and accountability on the part of those on whom fate has thrust the responsibility of leadership, especially in the politico-economic milieu. No matter how large the deposit might be, it would either be exhausted, or a cheaper alternative is found in the long run.
The above illogicality explains the motivation of the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo, cited in one of my articles, published inThe Deputy Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo , Eve Bazaiba, recently at the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, told Swiss delegates that her country will no longer accept the export of its raw materials, notably cobalt, by commodities giant,.
Considering these revelations about the dynamics of the supply chain in DR Congo, should the Nigerian government slumber over what is happening in the northwestern states of Zamfara, Kebbi, Sokoto and Katsina, if we hope to achieve a “just energy transition”, , at lower and cleaner cost, as the world shifts toward cleaner energy sources? Looking at the abundance of these mineral deposits in parts of that region, I don’t think so.