The World Bank World and the Wildlife Fund (WWF) have signed a
memorandum of understanding to intensify collaboration in Africa’s
extractive industries, and jointly support more sustainable extractive
industry practices that provide benefits to local communities and
protect the environment.
The MOU commits the two institutions to share knowledge and expertise
relating to the extractives sector in Africa, utilize and leverage
existing resources, collaborate on research and dissemination of good
practices, provide policy guidance, boost collaboration with other
entities, and jointly host seminars,
workshops and training events to
strengthen African capacities for sustainable management of natural
resources, a press release issued May 28, 2013 has said.
“To end poverty and boost shared prosperity, Africa needs a new
generation of extractive industry projects that are marked by
transparency, environmental and social accountability, and a sharp focus
on development results,” said Jamal Saghir, World Bank Director for Sustainable
Development in the Africa Region, at the signing ceremony at WWF-US
headquarters in Washington, DC. “We look forward to strengthening our
partnership with World Wildlife Fund-US so that poor people across
Africa can benefit from the abundance of natural resources,” he added.
The release stated that, the MOU comes at a time when Africa is
achieving solid growth rates of 5% and up. In an analysis of issues
shaping Africa’s economic future, the World Bank’s Africa Pulse, April
2013 issue noted that considerable amounts of new mineral revenues were
coming on stream across the region. Of the 49 countries in sub-Saharan
Africa, Africa Pulse noted that by 2020 only four or five countries on
the continent will not be involved in mineral exploitation of some kind,
such is Africa’s abundance of natural resources.
David Reed, Senior Vice President for Policy at WWF-US said, “There
is great opportunity for local communities to benefit from extractive
projects in Africa, but there is also risk that these communities, along
with critical habitats and endangered species are exploited in the
process, “We hope that by working with the World Bank, we can ensure
that extractive projects, both large and small, are implemented with
free, prior and informed consent combined with respect for globally
recognized environmental and social standards.”
By Dorcas Appiah
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