In an interview with Al Jazeera, Arikana Chihombori-Quao highlighted what she describes as a major imbalance in Africa’s mineral trade. According to her, many foreign companies obtain access to Africa’s raw mineral resources at relatively low prices through contracts with governments or mining concessions. These raw materials are then exported to developed countries, where they are processed, refined, and manufactured into high-value products before being sold on the global market at significantly higher prices. She argues that this system allows foreign companies to capture most of the economic value, while many African countries receive only a small share of the profits despite owning the resources. Chihombori-Quao believes that increasing local processing, value addition, and stronger negotiation of resource contracts would enable African nations to retain more wealth, create jobs, and accelerate economic development. #africa #Niger #mali #burkinafaso #africaaware