The 21st Century Scramble for Africa’s Resources: Issues and Problems

Adesanya, Olusegun Paul
Department of International Relations
Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
Email: adepaulsegun@yahoo.ca
Abstract
At the close of the last century, Africa was strapped between the US and its allies as the ‘raw material’ continent. Many countries of the continent thus evolved as suppliers of vital resources to these powers. The present century has been witnessing serious alteration in both the composition of such powers, and in global calculations. This is so, even as Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa
(BRICS) evolve as the alternative and/or challenger to Western powers’ position of leading global resources purchasers. In this vein, there have been new and higher demands for vital resources, particularly oil and gas, in Africa. The Western powers and Japan that perceive themselves, by default, as the conventional
consumers of resources on the continent have really not done much to bring about desired development in the units of the continent; perhaps they did much, but with little results. In spite of this knowledge, it has been observed in literature that the 21st century scramble for resource in Africa is being celebrated, particularly by elites in political, economic, military and academic spheres of the continent. Given this, the current study, while adopting a desktop research format, seeks to examine the fault lines in the present scramble for resources in the continent so
as to expose the deep-seated scheme of consigning Africa on the journey of perpetual underdevelopment. Although as claimed by pro-21st century scramble for resources analysts, certain advantages are inherent in the scramble; the current
study however finds out that more evil underlie the scramble than the said addition.