{UAH} The New Colonialism: Britain's scramble for Africa's energy and mineral resources

Lado reports Notes on the Article below : 

THE OLD COLONIZERS OF AFRICA  AND STILL THEM AS THE NEO COLONISERS OF AFRICA SAY " BANG AFRICA " !!!  - YOU ARE DEAD 

Preface:

 The continent of Africa is today facing a new colonial invasion, no less devastating in scale and impact than that which it suffered during the nineteenth century. As before, the new colonialism is driven by a determination to plunder the natural resources of Africa, especially its strategic energy and mineral resources. At the forefront of this 'scramble for Africa' are British companies, actively aided and abetted by the UK government. This report reveals the degree to which British companies now control Africa's key mineral resources, notably gold, platinum, diamonds, copper, oil, gas and coal. 

It documents how 101 companies listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) — most of them British — have mining operations in 37 sub-Saharan African countries. They collectively control over $1 trillion worth of Africa's most valuable resources. The UK government has used its power and influence to ensure that British mining companies have access to Africa's raw materials. This was the case during the colonial period and is still the case today. This report exposes the long term involvement of the British government, (whether Labour or Conservative) through its trade and investment policies, to influence and control British companies' access to raw materials and the way trade is conducted with Africa. It has been secured through a revolving door between Whitehall and British mining companies, with at least five British government officials taking up seats on the boards of mining companies operating in Africa. 

This kind of close control and influence over the political and economic systems of African countries has enabled a company like Glencore to show revenues 10 times that of the gross domestic product (GDP) of Zambia. Under the guise of the UK helping Africa in its economic development (a mere continuation of the colonial paternal narrative), $134 billion has flowed into the continent each year in the form of loans, foreign investment and aid. However, the British government has aided and abetted the extraction of $192 billion from Africa mainly in profits by foreign companies, tax dodging and the cost of adapting to climate change. This report also highlights British mining companies being at the forefront of environmental degradation in Africa. It also shows mining operations of British companies being associated with killings in or near mine areas, unfair and often forced resettlement programmes, labour rights and abuses. War on Want believes that UK companies must be held responsible for their extractivist behaviour in Africa. The UK government must be held accountable for its complicity in the plunder. We work with grassroots communities affected by mining in sub-Saharan Africa and support their call for mining revenues to stay in the countries where they are mined; for raw materials to be processed in the countries where they are mined to promote maximum value addition; and for governments to act to protect the rights of people affected by mining rather than protecting the profit margins of corporations exploiting them. We urge the UK public to engage in solidarity actions here in the UK to hold British companies and the British government accountable. 

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Writen  by John Hilary Executive Director waronwant.org/donate support@waronwant.org 020 7324 5040 War on Want 44-48 Shepherdess Walk London N1 7JP The New Colonialism: Britain's scramble for Africa's energy and mineral resources 03 1Co