Schluss mit Freibriefen für multinationale Konzerne zur Ausplünderung Afrikas
Studie "Gerechtigkeit mit Rohstoffen" (Equity in Extractives) veröffentlicht. Mitteilung für die Medien *
Pax Christi, Berlin, 13. Mai 2013
Die pax-christi-Kommission 'Solidarität mit Zentralafrika' begrüßt die Veröffentlichung der Studie
„Gerechtigkeit mit Rohstoffen“ (Equity in Extractives) vom 10.05.2013 im Rahmen des südafrikanischen
„African Progress Panel“. „Die Studie „Gerechtigkeit mit Rohstoffen“ legt die Finger auf offene Wunden.
Sie zeigt z.B. auf, dass multinationale Konzerne durch Rohstoffausbeutung doppelt so viele Geldmittel
aus Afrika abziehen, als durch sogenannte Entwicklungshilfe den Kontinent erreichen. Am Beispiel der
Demokratischen Republik Kongo wird dargestellt, wie Briefkastenfirmen für Schürfrechte „einen
Pappenstiel“ bezahlen und diese in Einzelfällen in Steueroasen kurz darauf mit hohem Profit weiter
veräußern. Dem wird die bittere Armut der einfachen Menschen in den meisten afrikanischen Ländern
gegenübergestellt. Ursachen sind häufig fehlende Transparenz bei den multinationalen Konzernen, aber
auch bei afrikanischen Regierungen, die oft nicht für das Wohl des Landes handeln“, kommentiert Jean Djamba für die pax christi-Kommission Solidarität mit Zentralafrika.
Bei der Vorstellung des Berichtes hatte Kofi Annan dazu aufgerufen, die „skrupellose Ausbeutung afrikanischer Rohstoffe zu beenden“. Rechtzeitig vor der nächsten G8-Sitzung drängt er deren Vorsitzenden, den britischen Premierminister David Cameron dazu, dass die G8-Staaten dafür sorgen, einige „gewissenlose Praktiken“ von Unternehmen zu beenden. Es sei „unethisch“, wenn etwa zur Steuervermeidung Rechnungen über Briefkastenfirmen ausgestellt würden, um Profite zu maximieren. „Hier ist insbesondere G8-Mitglied Kanada in der Pflicht“, betont Jean Djamba, „weil dort 75 % aller Bergbaukonzerne der Welt ihren Sitz haben. Die kanadische Justiz hat, anders als in Europa üblich – keine Jurisdiktion über die Geschäftspraxis kanadischer Konzerne in fernen Ländern. Djamba ergänzt: „Die deutsche Bundesregierung ist hier gefragt, sich bei der G8-Sitzung für einheitliche Regeln einzusetzen und den Sumpf mit Steueroasen und lascher Gesetzgebung trockenzulegen, der erhebliche Menschenrechtsverletzungen verursacht.“ Als Mitglied der UNO-Menschenrechtskommission, vor der sich Kanada demnächst verantworten muss, solle die Bundesregierung sich auch dort für eine Begrenzung der ausbeuterischen Geschäftspraktiken multinationaler Konzerne einsetzen.
Als Beispiel für hohe Profite bei Unternehmen ohne Nutzen für das Ursprungsland analysiert der Bericht fünf Bergbauverträge der kongolesischen Kupferfirma Gecamines, die zwischen 2010 und 2012 abgeschlossen wurden. Schürfrechte seien an eine Reihe von Firmen vergeben worden, die in Steueroasen wie den britischen Jungferninseln residierten und deren Besitz unklar sei, wenig später seien diese Rechte mit bis zu 400 % Profit weiterverkauft worden. Allein für die fünf untersuchten Verträge beläuft sich der Verlust für den Kongo auf 1,36 Mrd. Dollar. Eine aufschlussreiche Bezugsgröße zu solchen Summen sind die 698 Mio. Dollar, die der kongolesische Staat derzeit für Gesundheitsfürsorge und Bildung ausgeben kann und die Tatsache, dass im Kongo 17 von 100 Kindern sterben bevor sie das fünfte Lebensjahr erreichen.
Die Regierung der Demokratischen Republik Kongo hat allerdings schnell auf diesen Bericht reagiert. Bergbauminister Martin Kabwelulu erklärte gegenüber der Nachrichtenagentur Reuters, die Geschäftsabwicklung sei in völliger Transparenz durchgeführt worden. „De facto hat sich der Kongo wohl über den Tisch ziehen lassen“, vermutet Heinz Rothenpieler, der Sprecher der pax christi-Kommission Zentralafrika. „Ich gehe davon aus, dass der Bericht die in Afrika tätigen Konzerne, aber auch
afrikanische Regierungen unter Druck setzt, künftige Verträge ausgewogener abzuschließen. Sicherlich wird der Report auch bei den Delegierten der in wenigen Tagen beginnenden Sitzung der Afrikanischen
Union zu ihrem 50jährigen Jubiläum in Addis Abeba für Gesprächsstoff sorgen.“
Den Bericht „Gerechtigkeit mit Rohstoffen“ (Equity in Extractives) finden Sie auf dieser Internetseite:
Africa Progress report 2013
* Ansprechpartnerin bei pax christi für die Medien: Generalsekretärin Christine Hoffmann
Zusammenfassung der Ergebnisse (englisch):
SUMMARY
For much of the region’s history, Africa’s resource
wealth has been plundered and squandered.
It has served the interests of the few, not the many.
Revenues that could have been used to improve
lives have instead been used to build personal
fortunes, finance civil wars, and support corrupt and
unaccountable political elites. This report has a simple
message: history does not have to repeat itself. Today,
Africa’s governments have a unique window of
opportunity to convert natural resource wealth into a
catalyst for poverty reduction, shared prosperity and
accelerated human development.
This year’s Africa Progress Report rejects the view that
Africa is blighted by a “resource curse” – an affliction
that automatically consigns the citizens of resource-rich
nations to a future of economic stagnation, poverty and
poor governance. There is no curse. The malaise that
has afflicted natural resource management in Africa is
caused by the wrong domestic policies, weak investment
partnerships and failures in international cooperation.
Lifting that affliction will require decisive leadership by
African governments, backed by multilateral action
and a commitment by foreign investors to adopt best
international practices.
There is cause for optimism. Global market conditions point
to another decade of high prices for natural resources,
creating an environment conducive to economic
growth. The policy environment has also improved.
Strengthened public finance management has enabled
Africa to escape the boom-bust cycle associated with
past upswings in commodity markets. There have been
moves towards greater transparency and accountability
– the twin pillars of good governance in natural resources.
New legislation in the United States and the European
Union will add further impetus to these moves. Many
companies are now looking beyond short-term profits
and towards long-term investment partnerships. These
companies recognize the economic, as well as the
ethical, case for strengthening linkages to local firms, for
social and environmental impact assessments, and for
engagement with local communities.
None of this is to understate the risks and challenges that
come with Africa’s ongoing resource boom. Surges in
revenue have to potential to destabilize budget planning.
Governments must make tough choices over how much
to spend today and what to save for the future. There
are risks that the fragile and, in some countries, still
limited moves towards more open budget systems and
enhanced disclosure in state extractive companies will
be reversed. The Africa Progress Panel is concerned at
foreign investors extensive use of offshore companies,
shell companies and offshore jurisdictions. And much
of Africa remains trapped in a pattern of exporting raw
materials, with few countries successfully breaking into
manufacturing and processing. None of this is inevitable
– and our report demonstrates that the alternatives are
practical, achievable and affordable.
Rapid growth, but a mixed record on human development
The past decade has been a period of sustained growth
in Africa. Despite a weaker global economy, regional
growth has averaged over 5 per cent a year. Twenty
resource-rich countries have been at the forefront of the
economic recovery. These countries, accounting for 56
per cent of Africa’s population, have grown on average
more rapidly than other countries – and they include
some of the world’s fastest-growing economies. Half of
the resource-rich group has seen average income rise
by one-third or more. In 2012, Angola and Sierra Leone
outperformed China; Ghana and Mozambique grew
more rapidly than India.
Many resource-rich countries are moving up the
international wealth rankings. Over the past decade,
Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria and Zambia have crossed
the threshold from low-income to lower middle-income
status. Another five countries – Angola, Botswana,
Gabon, Namibia and South Africa – are in the upper
middle-income group. Equatorial Guinea, with an
average income of US$27,478 in 2011, is classed as a
high-income country.
Progress on reducing poverty and improving human
development has been less impressive. Resourcerich
countries have some of the world’s largest gaps
between their global ranking on wealth, as measured
by average income, and their performance on wider
indicators for wellbeing, as captured by the Human
Development Index (HDI). Equatorial Guinea’s HDI
ranking is 91 places below its average income rank,
and Angola’s is 38 places below. Moreover, resourcerich
countries are heavily concentrated in the lower
reaches of the HDI ranking. They account for 9 of the 12
last places, with the Democratic Republic of the Congo,
bottom. (Figure 1)*
International comparisons graphically illustrate
the failure of many countries to convert resource
wealth into expanded opportunities for human
development. Bangladesh has a far lower average
income than Nigeria, yet the country’s children are
three times less likely to die before their fifth birthday.
And while Bangladesh has achieved universal
primary education and gender parity, Nigeria has
10 million children out of school and some of the
world’s largest gender gaps. Angola has one of the
world’s highest maternal mortality rates. Eleven of
the resource-rich countries – including high-income
Equatorial Guinea – are in the group of 20 countries
with the highest child mortality rates. (Figure 2)
High growth has not always reduced poverty. New
research undertaken for the Africa Progress Report has
explored the interaction between average income and
the incidence of poverty in four countries. Both Ghana
and Tanzania reduced poverty, though by far less than
the amount predicted on the basis of their growth
performance: Tanzania should have lifted another
720,000 people out of poverty. While Zambia registered
strong growth, poverty levels increased by over half-amillion
people. Nigeria also saw an increase in poverty.
Why have resource-rich countries been unable to use
stronger economic growth to accelerate poverty
reduction? While the precise answer to that question
varies across countries, the underlying problem can be
summarized in two words: rising inequality. In each of
the four countries explored, almost all of the benefits of
economic growth were captured by the richest 10 per
cent. In Zambia, the income share of the poorest 10 per
cent fell by half over the survey period examined, while
the richest decile increased its share of national income
by almost one-third, from 33 per cent to 43 per cent of
the total.
This pattern is consistent with the wider drift towards
rising inequality. In last year’s Africa Progress Report we
cautioned that the rising disparities in wealth evident
across the region are both unsustainable and unfair.
That assessment applies with special force to resourcerich
countries. These countries have an unprecedented
opportunity to use resource wealth to reduce poverty
faster. It is vital that governments seize that opportunity
by distributing resource revenue more fairly.
The same is true for other areas. Some countries have
invested resource revenues in health, education,
water and sanitation, expanding opportunities for the
majority of their citizens. Yet the record is checkered.
Some political elites continue to seize and squander the
revenues generated by national resource, purchasing
mansions in Europe and the United States or building
private wealth at public expense. Angola’s oil revenues
have been used to amass personal fortunes and
subsidize cheap water and electricity for the wealthy,
while the poor are left without basic services.
Looking back over the past decade, it is clear that
growth alone will not transform human development
prospects in resource-rich countries. Governments
need to ensure that the revenue streams that come
with the growth of extractive industries are invested
efficiently and equitably. Part of that investment
has to be directed towards inclusive economic
growth, since it is growth that will generate the jobs
and future revenues needed to sustain progress. But
for the millions of people lacking access to health,
education, clean water, social protection and other
basic services, it is imperative that governments
use resource revenues to increase the quality and
accessibility of those services.
Africa and the commodity super-cycle
Africa’s resource-rich countries have been riding
the wave of a global commodity market tide. Even
though supply of some commodities is unpredictable,
markets are set to remain tight over the coming years,
with real prices remaining well above the average
level of the 1990s. (Figure 3)
By the end of 2011, average prices for energy and
base metals were three times as high as they had
been a decade earlier, and were approaching
or surpassing record levels over the past 40 years.
Reflecting the underlying market conditions, mining
investments increased more than fourfold between
2000 and 2010, reaching almost US$80 billion annually,
and the value of world metals production rose at
twice the rate of global GDP – a marked contrast
with the stagnation in value of the previous decade.
The upshot is that Africa has been integrating into
one of the most dynamic sectors of world trade.
There is little evidence to suggest that a downturn
is imminent. Some commentators maintain that the
world is still in the middle phase of a commodity
“super-cycle”. Fuelled by high growth in emerging
markets and constraints on supply, prices are set to
remain high. Compared with prices in 2005, which
were already well above average levels for the
1990s, projected prices for 2025 are around 20 per
cent higher for metals and minerals, 25 per cent
higher for energy commodities, and over 90 per
cent higher for precious metals.
Such projections should not be interpreted as
cause for over-exuberance. Africa is still a relatively
minor player in inherently unpredictable global
markets. Slower growth in China, global recession,
increased investment in new sources of supply –
such as natural gas extracted by “fracking” – and
new technologies could fundamentally change
underlying market conditions. African governments
need to plan for uncertainty and the risks that come
with dependence on exports, while preparing to
manage increased revenues.
Increased exploration and rising foreign investment
are deepening Africa’s integration into global
natural resource markets. In the energy sector,
established oil producers are expanding production.
The US Geological Survey estimates that the coastal
areas of the Indian Ocean could hold more than
250 trillion cubic feet of gas in addition to 14.5
billion barrels of oil. To put this figure in context, it
exceeds the known reserves of the United Arab
Emirates and Venezuela. Africa’s share of world
gold exports is rising. Countries such as Zambia and
the Democratic Republic of the Congo occupy a
strategic place in world markets for copper and
cobalt. More recently, there has been a global
scramble to secure access to some of the world’s
largest and least developed iron ore deposits in
Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The revenue flows associated with Africa’s natural
resources are potentially transformative. The IMF
estimates that revenue from Mozambique’s natural
gas and coal could reach US$3.5 billion annually.
Iron ore exports from Guinea could generate over
US$1.6 billion annually. Exports of natural gas, gold
and other minerals could produce a revenue
stream equivalent to 15 per cent of Tanzania’s GDP.
(Figure 4)
The past decade has witnessed not just a surge in
foreign investment activity, but a proliferation of
actors. Companies active in Africa’s extractive sectors
range from the multinational firms that dominate
world petroleum and mining to smaller and more
specialized regional actors. State and private Chinese
companies occupy an increasingly prominent role, as
do firms from other emerging markets. Many of the
foreign investors operating in Africa are following
international best practice, often in a difficult
operating environment. However, the Africa Progress
Panel has identified two major areas of concern.
The first concerns the structure of investment activity.
Foreign companies operating in Africa make
extensive use of offshore-registered companies and
low-tax jurisdictions. In some cases, multinational
companies are also linked through their investment
activities to complex webs of shell companies. These
arrangements come with weak public disclosure and
extensive opportunities for tax evasion. This is bad for
efforts to strengthen transparency and accountability
in Africa – and jeopardizes the reputations foreign
investors.
The second area of concern relates to the linkages
between foreign investment activity and local
markets. Extractive industries typically operate as lowvalue
added enclaves with weak linkages to local
firm and employment markets. Over a decade into
the commodity boom, Africa continues to export
predominantly unprocessed raw material, and to
import consumer goods and agricultural commodities.
This is not a sustainable model of development. It
is imperative that governments develop industrial
strategies for adding value to raw materials prior to
their export – and that foreign investors do more to
build local linkages. (Figure 5)
In 2012, overall private capital flows are estimated
to exceed aid transfers by 8 per cent.76 Foreign
direct investment was similar to aid flows before the
2008 global recession before falling back slightly
(Figure 6). That position has now been reversed,
with the latest data pointing to a rise in FDI and a
decline in aid. While the increase in private capital
flows has reduced financial dependence on aid,
development assistance remains a critical source of
finance for a significant group of countries. Moreover,
well-designed development assistance can support
national efforts to use resource wealth to accelerate
poverty reduction, notably by building institutional
capacity.
From natural resources to human development
Translating natural resource wealth into human
development requires integrated policies across a wide
range of areas. Governments need national strategies
that set out the terms on which resource wealth will
be exploited, including provisions on sustainability, the
regulatory environment and licensing. They also need
to ensure that revenues are collected, accounted for
and allocated efficiently and equitably to advance
public policy goals. Moving from good principles to
practice is not an easy journey.
Poor governance of state companies and assets is
associated with extensive revenue losses. In 2012, Angola
was unable to account for US$4.2 billion in “financing
residuals”, essentially missing money, in the accounts of
the state oil company. Nigeria is estimated to have lost
US$6.8 billion between 2010 and 2012. Revenue losses
on this scale cause immense damage to public finance
– and to national efforts to reduce poverty.
Concession trading arrangements are often associated
with undervaluation of assets. No country has lost more
from this practice than the Democratic Republic of the
Congo. This report includes a detailed analysis of five
privatization deals conducted through the sale of stateowned
assets to foreign investors operating through
offshore companies registered in the British Virgin Islands
and other jurisdictions. We estimate the total losses
sustained in these deals as a result of undervaluation
of the assets at US$1.3 billion - –more than double total
budget spending on health and education. In a country
with 7 million children out of school, the sixth highest child
mortality rate in the world, and endemic malnutrition,
losses of this order carry high human costs. (Figure 7)
The underpricing of concessions generates large returns
for offshore companies. In the case of the Democratic
Republic of the Congo, we estimate that underpricing
generated returns of around 500 per cent for the offshore
companies involved. In Guinea, the price secured by another offshore company for a concession in iron ore represented a return in excess of 3,000 per cent, with the agreed price exceeding Guinea’s GDP.
Lack of transparency remains a major concern.
Resource-rich countries in Africa score poorly on the
Resource Governance Index (RGI), a measure of
the level of disclosure in the natural resource sector.
Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Equatorial Guinea and Mozambique register some of the
lowest scores reported on the RGI. Opaque practices in
the natural resources sector are reinforced by opaque
national budgets, with citizens routinely denied access
to key budget documents.
Many resource-rich countries need urgently to review
the design of their tax regimes. Most were designed
to attract foreign investment during a period of low
commodity prices. Countries have provided extensive
tax concessions, including “tax holidays”, low royalty
payments, and exemptions from corporation tax. One
review in Zambia found that between 2005 and 2009,
half a million workers in the country’s copper mines
were paying a higher rate of taxation than major
multinational mining companies. The IMF and the
African Development Bank have urged governments to
reconsider the level of tax concessions that they provide.
Tax evasion continues to erode the revenue base for
public finance in many countries. It is impossible to
quantify the scale of the problem. However, high levels
of intra-company trade create extensive scope for
trade “mispricing”, enabling companies to report profits
in low-tax jurisdictions; and the extensive use of offshore
companies and shell companies makes it difficult for
African tax authorities to assess profits and enforce
compliance. Trade mispricing alone is estimated to have
cost Africa on average US$38 billion annually between
2008 and 2010 – more than the region received in bilateral
aid from OECD donors. Put differently, Africa could double
aid by eliminating unfair pricing practices. (Figure 8)
Converting resource revenues into tangible human
development gains and expanded opportunity
requires efficient and equitable public spending. The
record of resource-rich countries in this area is mixed,
but far from encouraging. Several countries – Chad
is a notable example – under-invest in basic services.
Countries such as Ghana, Kenya and Zambia
skew public spending on health, education and
infrastructure away from the most disadvantaged
areas. As a group, resource-rich countries under-invest
in social protection. The 1.5 per cent of GDP spent by
Nigeria provides limited coverage. One of the main
programmes, Care of the People, provides modest
grants to only 22,000 households (0.001 per cent of
the poor).
Unlocking the potential
The immense challenges that African governments
face have practical and achievable solutions.
Governments can also draw upon a wide range
of guides to action. The Africa Mining Vision, jointly
prepared by the African Union and the Economic
Commission for Africa, sets out a compelling agenda
for using resource wealth to boost inclusive growth,
expand opportunities and reduce poverty faster.
The Natural Resource Charter, which draws on
international best practice, is another valuable tool
that can help to frame policies.
Many African governments are leading by example.
Reform-minded political leaders, supported by
civil society, have used the Extractive Industries
Transparency Initiative (EITI) to strengthen disclosure
standards. Sierra Leone now publishes contracts and
concessions online. In February 2012, Guinea published
on a government website more than 60 contract
documents covering 18 mining projects, along with
a searchable summary of contract terms, allowing
non-experts to find key sections and understand the
obligations of companies and the government. The
new Liberian Draft Petroleum Policy has a section
devoted to transparency measures that will influence
the eventual drafting of sector legislation. It includes
provisions requiring the disclosure of the beneficial
ownership structure of mining companies, revenue
forecasts and oil sale price information. Ghana’s
2011 Petroleum Revenue Management Act exceeds
EITI reporting standards. These initiatives reflect the
political impetus towards greater transparency and
accountability in Africa.
International initiatives are supporting Africa’s efforts.
Under the Dodd-Frank legislation introduced in the
United States, the Securities Exchange Commission
will require companies involved in extractive industries
to publicly disclose all payments on a project-byproject
basis. The legislation, which has prompted
parallel moves from the European Union, provides an
opportunity for foreign investors to support Africa’s
efforts to strengthen transparency and accountability.
Unfortunately, many companies have failed to grasp
that opportunity. Some have initiated legal challenges
seeking to overturn Dodd-Frank provisions. Others
have embarked on a campaign of attrition aimed at
diluting mandatory reporting requirements. This is shortsighted
– and the commercial arguments deployed in
favour of weaker disclosure lack credibility.
Not all of the opposition emanates from industry.
The Canadian government has opposed the
introduction of mandatory disclosure standards. This
matters because companies listed on the Toronto
stock exchanges control global mining assets in
excess of US$109 billion and in 2011 were involved in
over 330 projects in Africa. China’s stock exchanges,
most notably in Hong Kong and Shanghai, also need
to be brought into a more transparent multilateral
regime.
Several governments in Africa are introducing more
efficient and balanced tax regimes. Royalty rates
have been increasing, reflecting the escalation in
world prices. The African Development Bank has
proposed indexing royalty payments to world prices,
which would improve stability and predictability in
tax administration. The IMF has urged governments
to avoid negotiating tax deals on an investor-byinvestor
basis, and several countries have successfully
renegotiated what were unbalanced arrangements.
However, African governments acting alone cannot
resolve some of the most pressing tax problems facing
the region. Tax evasion is a global problem facilitated
by a mixture of intra-company trade practices, the
extensive use made by foreign investors of offshore
centres, shell companies and low-tax havens,
and weak disclosure standards in a number of
financial and commodity trading centres, including
Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United
States. While there have been encouraging moves
towards greater international dialogue on taxation,
what is lacking is decisive international action – and
this is an area in which the G8 and the G20 can make
a difference.
In the past, fiscal policy has been an Achilles’ heel
of resource governance in Africa. Surges of revenue
have led to bouts of uncontrolled public spending,
without subsequent adjustment during downturns
in the commodity cycle. This picture is changing.
Governments are setting a reference price for
resource exports, smoothing flows into the budget
across the commodity cycle and placing surpluses
into sovereign wealth funds and other instruments.
Nigeria’s recently established sovereign wealth fund
has drawn on the experience of other countries in the
region and beyond – including Botswana and Chile
– to establish clear and transparent rules managing
resource flows.
Effective fiscal management does not provide answers
to key questions over spending. All governments have
to consider the capacity of national economies to
absorb increased spending financed by resource
revenues. Saving for the future is an important policy
goal. However, the Africa Progress Panel believes that
there should be a presumption in favour of “frontloaded”
expenditure – investing early in infrastructure
and basic services. Evidence shows that returns to
investment in infrastructure can be very high, typically
ranging between 15 per cent and 20 per cent, and the
World Bank estimates that infrastructure investments
could raise Africa’s long-term growth rate by 2 per
cent a year. By contrast, returns to savings in secure
bond markets are currently well below 1 per cent,
implying a negative return when adjusted for inflation.
Spending priorities have to be determined in the
light of national dialogue. Two guides to action
stand out. The first is that investment geared towards
long-term, inclusive growth is critical. Governments
need to ensure that the revenues generated
by non-renewable natural resource assets are
turned into permanent improvements in economic
infrastructure and in people’s health, education,
welfare and livelihoods. Unless growth continues,
increased spending in basic services will become
unsustainable. At the same time, it is difficult to make
a case for saving a large share of resource revenues
when some 30 million African children are out of
school, when the region’s health system is unable to
deliver basic care to a large share of its population,
and when climate risk continues to trap smallholder
farmers.
The second priority, therefore, is to use the revenues
generated by resource exports to break the cycle
of poverty trapping millions of Africans, and to
unlock opportunities. These revenues can be used
to eliminate charges on basic services, to expand
provision for the most marginalized groups and
areas, and to raise both the quality and accessibility
of health care and education. Part of the resource
windfall could also be invested in developing
national social protection systems, drawing on the
best regional practices of countries such as Rwanda
and Ethiopia, and on relevant experience from other
regions.
SHARED AGENDA FOR CHANGE THAT BENEFITS ALL
Africa’s natural resource wealth is an asset with the
potential to lift millions of people out of poverty
and build shared prosperity for the future. This report has
identified some of the policies that could realize that
potential by enabling Africa’s people, governments,
civil society, foreign investors and the wider international
community to come together around a shared agenda
for change.
These policies offer pathways towards win-win scenarios.
When governments strengthen disclosure standards and
improve accountability, they improve their legitimacy
in the eyes of their citizens. When foreign investors
adopt more stringent disclosure standards and avoid
irresponsible practices including tax evasion, they stand
to gain from improved standing in the host countries –
and from the avoidance of risks that could damage
shareholder interests. If the international community
comes together to tackle tax evasion, rich countries
as well as poor will gain as the losses associated with
aggressive tax planning diminish.
By the same token, when there is a deficit of trust
there are no winners – and resource governance
in Africa has long been blighted by a lack of trust.
Millions of Africans have lost trust in the capacity and
concern of their governments to manage what are
public natural resource assets in the public interest
Governments and many of their citizens question
the motives and practices of foreign investors,
while the companies themselves often have little
confidence in the governments that shape the
policy environment in which they operate. Building
trust is harder than changing policies – yet it is the
ultimate condition for successful policy reform. Civil
society organizations have played a central role in
strengthening transparency and accountability and
they often partner effectively with all key stakeholders
groups highlighted below. Their role is fundamental to
implementing most of the recommendations below.
Africa has never suffered from a “resource curse”.
What the region has suffered from is the curse of
poor policies, weak governance and a failure to
translate resource wealth into social and economic
progress. The favourable market conditions created
by global resource constraints provide no guarantee
that the growth of extractive industries will lead to
improvements in the lives of people. But if governments
seize the moment and put in place the right policies,
Africa’s resource wealth could permanently transform
the continent’s prospects.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION
Trensparency and accountability
Adopt a global common standard for extractive transparency: All countries should embrace and enforce the project-by-project disclosure standards embodied in the US Dodd-Frank Act and
comparable EU legislation, applying them to all extractive industry companies listed on their stock
exchanges. It is vital that Australia, Canada and China, as major players in Africa, actively support
the emerging global consensus on disclosure. It is time to go beyond the current patchwork of
initiatives to a global common standard.
Realize the Africa Mining Vision: Adopt the Africa Mining Vision’s framework for “transparent,
equitable and optimal exploitation of mineral resources to underpin broad-based sustainable
growth and socio-economic development” as the guiding principle for policy design.
Immediately equip the African Minerals Development Centre with the technical, human and
financial resources it needs to help governments develop national strategies. Implement the
Africa Mining Vision at country level, including a strenghtened EITI provision.
Use the African Peer Review Mechanism: Assert African leadership in reforming the international
architecture on transparency and accountability by implementing the African Peer Review
Mechanism’s codes and standards on extractive industry governance.
Distribution of benefits
Build a multilateral regime for tax transparency: The G8 should establish the architecture for
a multilateral regime that tackles unethical tax avoidance and closes down tax evasion.
Companies registered in G8 countries should be required to publish a full list of their subsidiaries
and information on global revenues, profits and taxes paid across different jurisdictions. Tax
authorities, including tax authorities in Africa, should exchange information more systematically.
Economic transformation
Boost linkages, value addition and diversification: Add value by processing natural resources
before export. Forge links between extractive industries and domestic suppliers and markets to
contribute towards value addition. Structure incentives to favour foreign investors who build links
with domestic suppliers, undertake local processing and support skills development. Use linkages
to diversify national economies away from dependence on extraction.
Resource revenues and public spending
Ensure equity in public spending: Strengthen the national commitment to equity and put in place
the foundation for inclusive growth: African governments should harness the potential for social
transformation created by increased revenue flows. Finance generated by the development of
minerals should be directed towards the investments in health, education and social protection
needed to expand opportunity, and towards the infrastructure needed to sustain dynamic growth.
Social and environmental sustainability
Protect artisanal mining: Support artisanal mining, which is labour-intensive and provides precious jobs. The formal extractive sector and informal artisanal mining both stand to gain from constructive arrangements that recognize the rights of artisanal miners and protects the interests of all investors.
* Die Schaubilder sind in der Kurzfassung der Ergebnisse und Empfehlungen enthalten, die Sie hier herunterladen können (englisch):
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