High-level policy dialogue on natural resources value chains in the ECOWAS region

The African Natural Resources Center will host a workshop on value chain policies on select natural resources, namely iron ore, diamonds, natural gas and tilapia. The main objective of the High Level Policy Dialogue is to strengthen the capacity of RMCs to effectively design and implement competitive downstream policies for value addition and to enhance the ability of governments to negotiate with investors.

Ghana’s Minister of Lands and Natural Resources,  John Peter Amewu, will join a high-level panel at the opening of the workshop. This dialogue will also bring together government officials, private sector companies, academia and CSOs from the Economic Community for West Africa States (ECOWAS) to discuss value chains in the gas, iron ore, diamonds, and fish sectors.

Africa is endowed with both renewable and nonrenewable natural resources. These extractive resources offer a unique opportunity for driving economic growth, promoting economic diversification and creating jobs.

However, largely as a result of weak development of the value chains of extractive resources, African countries face challenges in transforming their resource wealth into sustained growth. For example though the continent produces some 52% of the world’s diamonds, it remains a small player further downstream, polishing an estimated 10% of global production by value. This challenge motivated the African Natural Resources Center to commission a series of studies to provide policymakers in African countries with the information they need to strike the right balance between maximizing revenue from natural resources and integrating them into national economies.

The media is invited to attend the opening session of the workshop. Modibo Traore, Officer-in-Charge of the African Natural Resources Centers will be available to take questions.  The Workshop program is attached for reference.