Rwanda has precious minerals, but beware the resource curse

We are used to this dismissive portrayal of Rwanda. It is a tiny, poor country with no natural resources. Who would be interested in it? It is such a pervasive view that even some Rwandans, including geologists, have come to accept it. But at the same time no one wants to let go of this supposedly resource-poor country. They will do everything to keep poor Rwanda under their control, firmly in their sphere of influence. This is a curious contradiction. Something surely lies behind it. Is the hold and not let go attitude because some people know what riches Rwanda holds that the rest of us are ignorant of? Is the resource-poor narrative meant to keep us from inquiring into what the earth may hold and therefore not bother to search? It is probably both. It turns out that this land harbours more than the famed hills and their steep cones, beautiful terraces and the valleys that meander between them, and the plains and lakes. Rwanda is actually-mineral-rich and has some of the world’s most strategic and high-value minerals. Of course this has been hidden from us. But it has been known for a long time going back to colonial times. You see, colonialists were not like our geologists. They suspected that these fabled hills held much treasure and went on to investigate and map their findings. Today, new technology confirms what the old colonialists found and reveals new minerals they didn’t see. President Paul Kagame confirmed the existence of the wealth our part of the earth holds at a thanksgiving prayer breakfast on Sunday. He did not say how much or where it is, but it must be substantial for him to mention. I suppose that was one of the things for which we are thankful – that we know what lies under our sol and that not much of it has been stolen. So now we know how valuable Rwanda is, beyond just being home, despite the dirt-poor label, and why we always come under fire when we try to strike out independently. However, this knowledge comes with some concerns. Some might say we have been managing just fine without this wealth and now we might have to face the curse that has blighted other African countries with such resources. For evidence they point to our giant western neighbour reputed to have minerals strewn along village paths, or falling from the sky with the generous rains, or washed up on river banks for anyone to pick, where every rock or stone is supposed to harbour some gem or other. Yet the huge country has been afflicted by instability and untold poverty for its entire life. Not to worry, President Kagame says, we know how to manage such things. Our people come first. His assurance that we know how to deal with the so-called curse is, of course, welcome comfort. Still, it is important to understand why the curse has hit many, the better to avoid it. Why have the people not benefitted from the bounty of their earth? One explanation is the same reason that Africa got carved up by various European countries into colonial territories and African chiefs sold huge parts of their population into slavery. It is old-fashioned greed. African leaders gave away the continent’s wealth in exchange for bottles of schnapps, cheap trinkets and other kids’ stuff. Many of them ceded entire countries to European adventurers and imperial agents by appending their signature – really an X mark – on agreements they could not read or understand. Sometimes this was done at the point of a gun, the promise of protection or after they were thoroughly inebriated. Today that has not changed very much in many places. Some leaders have not learnt lessons from the folly of their ancestors and fall prey to the same tricks and for the same reason. There are many agreements floating around seeking signatures for similar concessions. This time we understand what they contain, but sometimes are induced to go against our knowledge. True the guns have been replaced by different arm-twisting methods and the cheque book, but the schnapps, toys and other objects of vanity remain. Resistance to the concession-seekers of the past was met with brutality and ruthlessness. Modern day resistance suffers a similar fate. The methods and agents may be different but the result is the same. Most of that is not new to Rwanda which has been in the eye of a mighty storm for most of our recent history. Now that we are sitting on immense wealth we can expect it to grow in intensity and ferocity, and must therefore gird ourselves appropriately. If we do, we will defeat the curse.

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Rwanda has precious minerals, but beware the resource curse