Resource Extraction in Africa and the Controversial Role of NGOs
Executive Summary
This report critically examines the role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Africa’s extractive sector, analyzing their influence on policy, governance, and economic outcomes. While NGOs advocate for accountability, human rights, and environmental protection, this activity has not been without significant controversy. Their activities have raised concerns regarding selective advocacy, regulatory capture, and funding dependencies that can prioritize narrow political agendas and distort the policymaking process. These dynamics create an uneven regulatory landscape, where Western companies face intense scrutiny while state-owned enterprises from authoritarian regimes largely operate without comparable oversight. As a result, China and Russia have been able to monopolize critical minerals markets at great risk to global supply chains and Western security interests.
The report is structured into four main sections. The first outlines the legal frameworks governing Africa’s extractive industries, including resource ownership, revenue distribution, and international investment. The second section focuses on critiques of NGO involvement, highlighting their disproportionate focus on Western actors, funding dependencies, and the accountability gaps left in relation to non-Western players. The third presents a case study of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), illustrating how NGO lobbying for US sanctions enabled Chinese firms to capture the DRC’s cobalt sector, and necessitating significant policy changes to undo the damage.
The report concludes with actionable recommendations, to promote transparency, inclusivity, and accountability among all stakeholders in Africa’s extractive sector. These recommendations include greater pluralism in policy discourse, strengthening legal frameworks, enhancing accountability and transparency mechanisms, and expanding scrutiny on authoritarian actors. Addressing these challenges is essential for fostering sustainable and equitable resource management.
