By Professor Douglas BOATENG
…A mine feeds an account, but a farm feeds a people. History will ask which we chose to sustain.
Mining and agriculture are uneasy neighbours
One extracts value from beneath the ground; the other cultivates value on the surface. Across Africa, these two vital sectors are locked in a quiet yet escalating battle; a battle that few dare to name. But the stakes could not be higher. From Ghana to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the continent continues to prioritise short-term mineral profits over long-term food security, opting for foreign-backed syndicate deals at the expense of the health of generations yet unborn. It is a choice with no middle ground, and one we are dangerously close to losing. We cannot eat gold. Yet we behave as though we can.
The clash beneath our feet
Across the continent, mining is displacing farming physically, economically, and existentially.
- In Ghana’s Western Region, surface gold mining has wiped out nearly 45percent of farmland in affected districts, leaving behind deforestation and poisoned soil.
- In the cobalt belts of the DRC, rivers once used for irrigation now carry toxic runoff that slowly kills agriculture and biodiversity.
- In Nigeria and Guinea, land disputes between miners and farmers are rising, often with violent consequences.
This is not poetic exaggeration; it is measurable collapse. Ghana’s Water Company has already warned that, at the current rate of pollution, the nation may soon have to import clean water. What once nourished cassava now carries cyanide. And still, we dig.
Gold for now, graves for tomorrow
Yes, some nations have mined their way to prosperity. Botswana is often cited as a rare example of resource wealth managed wisely. But Botswana planned deliberately, channelling mining revenues into education, healthcare, and tourism. Elsewhere, the so-called resource curse looms large.
In Nigeria, oil riches undermined agriculture. In the DRC, vast mineral wealth has done little to curb poverty. Short-term extraction without a long-term strategy is a recipe for generational regret. Foreign syndicates, sometimes with the help of locals, leave with profit. African communities are left with poisoned soil, dry rivers, and hollowed economies. The unborn will not remember the gold, but they will live with its absence of grain, trees, and clean water.
The agricultural opportunity we keep ignoring
Here is the inconvenient statistic: Africa holds 60percent of the world’s uncultivated arable land, yet imports over US$40 billion worth of food annually. Moreover, 82percent of Africa’s basic food imports originate outside the continent, and in Eastern Africa, 84percent of wheat consumption is imported. In Ghana, agriculture employs over 53percent of the labor force, while mining, which contributes around 9percent of GDP, employs less than 1percent of workers. Agriculture employs more than half of Africa’s population but, in most countries, receives less than 5percent of the national budget.
In 2003, African leaders pledged under the Maputo Declaration to allocate at least 10percent of public spending to agriculture. Two decades later, fewer than ten countries have consistently met this target. We underinvest in the one sector that feeds, employs, exports, and sustains. Meanwhile, mining, though contributing to GDP, creates relatively few jobs. A shovel may make an individual wealthy. A plough keeps an entire nation alive.
A supply chain sitting in the soil
Africa is not just rich in land; it is rich in high-value agricultural products with untapped potential, especially in the nutraceutical and cosmeceutical industries:
- Coconuts: Africa has over 12 million hectares suitable for coconut cultivation yet contributes less than 5percent to global coconut exports. Coconut oil, highly demanded in cosmetics, supplements, and plant-based foods, is mostly exported in its raw form, with minimal processing.
- Avocados and nutrient-dense fruits: Kenya’s avocado exports reached US$147 million in 2022, yet only a small fraction is processed into oils, creams, or ready-to-eat products. Processing infrastructure remains a gaping hole.
- Cassava: A resilient, climate-friendly crop with immense potential for starch, flour, ethanol, and even bioplastics. Nigeria produces over 50 million tonnes annually, yet still imports cassava derivatives due to limited processing plants and logistics bottlenecks.
- Shea nuts: The backbone of a multi-billion-dollar global skincare industry. West African farmers harvest the raw nuts, but the real profits are made elsewhere. Raw shea is exported cheaply, only for finished butters and creams to be re-imported at 500percent markups.
- Pawpaw (papaya): Rich in enzymes with pharmaceutical, food, and skincare applications. Yet post-harvest waste exceeds 30percent in many regions due to a lack of drying and cold-chain facilities.
The tragedy is not just that Africa is poor. It is that Africa is poor while sitting on a green goldmine. Africa can feed itself and the world. It can export not just raw crops but functional foods, health supplements, clean cosmetics, and sustainable packaging materials; if we build the integrated supply chains to match.
A decision for the unborn
This is not just an economic debate; it is a moral question. When we destroy the land for profit, we are not merely trading trees for taxes; we are robbing the unborn of shade, food, and future. The child of tomorrow will not ask how much gold we sold. They will ask why the rivers ran dry. Will we leave a continent of opportunity or a wasteland of regret?
Learning from global success stories
We do not have to start from scratch: We can adapt, not adopt.
- Thailand modernised its rice and cassava sectors into global export giants.
- Vietnam transformed coffee and seafood industries through upstream processing and packaging.
- Brazil industrialised soybeans, sugarcane, and ethanol, creating a multibillion-dollar agribusiness.
- Singapore’s Temasek invested in food processing and biotech, turning resource scarcity into a competitive advantage.
Africa can do the same if we treat agriculture as a strategic industrial engine.
What Africa must do now
Africa’s extractive addiction must end. It must be replaced with a balanced, opportunity-driven approach that secures the future.
- Plan mining with precision
- Limit mining to zones with the least ecological impact.
- Enforce strict environmental and rehabilitation policies.
- Channel revenues into long-term economic diversification, not short-term political consumption.
- Reignite agriculture as a growth engine
- Allocate above 10percent of national budgets to agriculture.
- Invest in irrigation, post-harvest storage, and rural financing.
- Develop agro-processing zones to unlock value-added exports.
The African Development Bank is leading the way: mobilising US$2.2 billion to build processing zones across 28 Nigerian states, starting with US$500 million in 2024, to curb the nation’s US$4.7 billion in annual food imports.
- Build nutraceutical and cosmeceutical value chains
- Incentivise R&D and local production of coconut, avocado, cassava, shea, and pawpaw-based products.
- Foster partnerships with global wellness brands.
- Establish logistics hubs to minimise post-harvest losses and facilitate the connection of rural farmers to urban and global markets.
These are not impossible dreams; they are simply delayed priorities.
Final reflections – the clarion call for a new vision
Africa stands once again at a crossroads, perhaps for the last time before irreversible damage is done. What we decide today will echo in the lungs of our rivers, the roots of our trees, and the bellies of our children. He who tills the soil leaves behind a future. He who sells the soil leaves behind a funeral. Environmental collapse is not a technical glitch. It is a moral failure. And it is not merely the responsibility of governments to change course; it is the duty of every citizen, policymaker, entrepreneur, and traditional leader.
The opportunity we are still holding
- A modernised agricultural sector can feed the continent and the world.
- A robust nutraceutical and cosmeceutical industry can make Africa a global supplier of wellness.
- Green technologies and digital platforms can unlock youth-led innovation across sustainable value chains.
- With climate-conscious leadership, Africa can become the world’s hub for clean agriculture, organic products, and sustainable exports.
But we must think in decades, not quarters. In generations, not election cycles. The leaders Africa needs are not those who harvest votes with golden promises, but those who plant trees under whose shade they may never sit.
A legacy worth leaving
If we are to write a new chapter, it must begin with this truth: Africa’s greatest wealth does not lie beneath its ground. It lies in its people, its soil, and its untapped imagination. This is Africa’s inconvenient truth. But it is also Africa’s incredible opportunity. Let us be remembered as the generation that turned from pillaging to planting, from exporting raw materials to exporting wisdom, from mining profit to cultivating legacy. Let it be said that when Africa had to choose between gold and grain, we chose life.
>>>the writer is a globally celebrated thought leader, Chartered Director, industrial engineer, supply chain management expert, and social entrepreneur known for his transformative contributions to industrialisation, procurement, and strategic sourcing in developing nations.
As Africa’s first Professor Extraordinaire for Supply Chain Governance and Industrialization, he has advised governments, businesses, and policymakers, driving sustainability and growth. During his tenure as Chairman of the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) and Labadi Beach Hotel, he led these institutions to global recognition for innovation and operational excellence. He is also the past chairman of the Public Procurement Authority.
A prolific author of over 90 publications, he is the creator of NyansaKasa (Words of Wisdom), a thought-provoking platform with over one million daily readers. Through his visionary leadership, Professor Boateng continues to inspire ethical governance, innovation, and youth empowerment, driving Africa toward a sustainable and inclusive future.
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