Guinea is one of the world’s poorest countries. It’s ranked 160th out of 161 when it comes to health, 159th in education and 152nd in living conditions. Yet it is the world’s largest producer of bauxite and has the world’s largest reserves. Bauxite is used to make aluminium. Successive regimes in Guinea have used mining to maintain the status quo. This has allowed the state to function despite ongoing internal socio-economic challenges. To cascade the benefits of mining to the wider population, there needs to be a long-term approach to development. In particular, revenues from mining need to be used to make deep-seated changes. The government can do this by sponsoring training programmes for junior, middle, and senior government officials. In addition, senior officers should be offered international exposure and given a chance to spend time with the mining ministries of countries with large mining portfolios. Botswana and Australia, for example.
SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION
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