Africa’s Extractive Governance Architecture: Lessons to Inform a Shifting Agenda

This policy briefing by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) examines the architecture of extractive governance in Africa, focusing on the Africa Mining Vision (AMV) and the African Minerals Development Centre (AMDC). It argues that for these African-led initiatives to succeed, they must integrate ground-level research, avoid duplication of efforts, and leverage the experience of existing global and multilateral frameworks.

• The Africa Mining Vision (AMV), endorsed by African heads of state in 2009, and its implementing arm, the African Minerals Development Centre (AMDC), have encountered implementation challenges. The AMV's core mandate is to promote the transformative role of minerals in Africa's development, focusing on seven key areas: policy and licensing; geological and mining information systems; governance and participation; artisanal and small-scale mining; linkages, investment and diversification; building human and institutional capacity; and communication and advocacy.
• The AMDC faces significant operational hurdles, including bureaucratic delays caused by its multiple institutional partners (the AU, UNDP, and AfDB) and a lack of necessary technical expertise. Additionally, some African governments have expressed concern regarding the AMDC's financial reliance on Canada and Australia, which provided $4.6 million and $13.9 million respectively for its start-up budget.
• There is a risk of policy fragmentation and duplication among various resource governance initiatives. The AMDC's work on Country Mining Visions (CMVs) may overlap with activities by the Natural Resource Charter and the Revenue Watch Institute in Mozambique and Tanzania. Furthermore, the AfDB’s African Natural Resources Centre provides similar technical assistance and capacity building, though its scope extends beyond minerals.
• Research by SAIIA's Governance of Africa’s Resources Programme (GARP) indicates a widening gap between the headline economic contributions of the oil and mining sectors and the actual local realities. A primary challenge is reconciling the low-value addition of export-oriented extractive industries with the goal of creating employment and social progress.
• The document recommends that the AMV and AMDC systematically engage with and leverage the experience of established global/multilateral mechanisms. Specifically, it suggests learning from the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) regarding its adaptive orientation and the Kimberley Process (KP) diamond certification scheme's ability to convene diverse stakeholders, while avoiding the KP's tendency to defer excessively to governments.
• Effective extractive governance in Africa requires addressing six interlocking challenges: the allocation of mining and exploration rights; the technical structuration of deals, royalties, and contract negotiation; revenue transparency; the development of oversight capacity (including monitoring and evaluation systems); the management of conflict dynamics; and global regulatory issues such as beneficial ownership, transfer pricing, and tax harmonisation.

APA

Bello, O. (2014). Africa’s Extractive Governance Architecture: Lessons to Inform a Shifting Agenda. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Policy-Briefing-90.pdf

Chicago

Bello, Oladiran. Africa’s Extractive Governance Architecture: Lessons to Inform a Shifting Agenda. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2014. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Policy-Briefing-90.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Bello |first1=Oladiran |title=Africa’s Extractive Governance Architecture: Lessons to Inform a Shifting Agenda |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=May 2014 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Policy-Briefing-90.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bello2014africas, author = {Bello, Oladiran}, title = {{Africa’s Extractive Governance Architecture: Lessons to Inform a Shifting Agenda}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2014}, month = may, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Policy-Briefing-90.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }