ADF urges better natural resource utilisation

ADF urges better natural resource utilisation
By Kabanda Chulu
Thu 01 Nov. 2012, 12:20 CAT

AFRICAN countries have been urged to implement better ways of utilising natural resources to promote people-centred sustainable development.

According to resolutions adopted at the recently held 8th Africa Development Forum (ADF VIII) held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, it was noted that policy, legal, regulatory, economic, governance, equity, knowledge, institutional and environmental constraints were critical to the sustainable management of Africa's natural resources with a developmental vision.

"Overcoming these constraints is key for attaining inter-sectoral linkages between agriculture, forest, industries and human settlement in Africa," it stated.

The 8th ADF that was held under the theme 'Governing and Harnessing Natural Resources for Africa's Development', focused on how to generate maximum benefits from the exploitation of Africa's lands, minerals, fisheries and forests for the benefit of its people.

On issues of land which have come under intense speculative pressure from local and foreign investors, the adopted resolutions stated that scientific and methodical approaches to land would guarantee transparency, equity and sustainability.

"These include strengthening policy, access, property rights, and investment in large-scale agriculture in line with the existing Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP)," it stated.

"Africa accounts for 60 per cent of the world's uncultivated arable land that need to be protected against rapacious speculation."

On mining, the adopted resolutions stated that transparent, equitable and optimal exploitation of mineral resources should underpin broad-based sustainable growth and socioeconomic development.

"The continent is home to one-fifth of global gold and uranium supplies, while over 30 countries produce oil and gas in commercial quantity so implementation of the African Mining Vision adopted by African leaders in 2009 is important since the vision sets out how mining can be used to drive the development of their countries," it stated.

On fisheries and aquatic resources, the forum called for the strengthening of policies, legislation, strategies, investment and collaboration among states in various areas to develop the sector.

"Greater attention also needed to be paid to the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) action plan on inland, coastal and marine fisheries and aquaculture at the national and regional levels especially that Africa loses a million tons of fishery resources estimated at over US $ 600 million annually to illegal and unreported fishing," stated the forum.