Forging War or Peace? The Role of the State in Extractive Economies of Sub-Saharan Africa

In the heated discussions on worldwide competition over resources, German and European policy-makers and industry representatives nervously point to the growing demand for resources by emerging economies such as China, Brazil, and India. China produces more than 97 % of the global supply of rare earth minerals, which are used to produce high-tech consumer products and advanced military equipment like guided missiles. Reports in late 2010 showed that China was withholding shipments of rare earths resulted in increased nervousness of importing countries (Hageluken, Chap. 8; Schebek et al., Chap. 10; Zepf et al., Chap. 18). In these discussions, the role of Sub-Saharan Africa as an important producer of certain minerals is often overlooked. The Steenkamskraal mine in South Africa, operated by Canada’s Great Western minerals Group for instance, is projected to produce 2,700 t of rare earth concentrate by 2013. World demand for rare earth elements was estimated at 136.000 t per year in 2012, with global production around 134.000 t in 2010 (Humphries 2012).