| Abstract: | Self-sufficiency in agriculture has been the principal development target in Africa for the past decade. It is now generally appreciated that that target can only be reached if population growth can be controlled and farmers are paid to make it worth while to grow a surplus. Responsibility for the next phase of development – wealth generation – will depend largely by default on the rapid growth of mining, particularly smaller mines. This paper sets out the country requirements for a successful mining sector in Africa. Experience in Zimbabwe and elsewhere suggests that there are three essential components: (i) simple, transparent mining legislation that gives title to the discoverer of a mineral resource in the form of a freely tradeable property right; (ii) the availability of local and/or international sources of risk finance; and (iii) a workforce that includes numbers of persons who have been trained in the technical and financial aspects of practical mining. |
