Copper Rich But Dirt Poor

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Copper Rich But Dirt Poor

Africa’s Wealth Extraction

Several months ago I got to meet and became acquainted with a businessman from China who traveled to my community to explore the feasibility of mining raw materials here in Tharaka-Nithi County Kenya for export back to China. In speaking with him, the overall objective appeared to be extraction of raw materials for processing, fabrication, and use in China’s growth, development, and prosperity. My understanding was that local job opportunities would pale in comparison to job opportunities and wealth creation that the Chinese would experience through these exported minerals.

The harsh reality for Africa is that if it cannot harnass full sovereighty over its natural resources and retain mastery of its means of production, the future will be bleak indeed. I personally know of too many families and individuals are living hand to mouth at embarrassingly low wages. Feeding the family and paying school fees for the children drain the bulk of monthly incomes. Imagine peering into a computer screen in California and uncovering a massive fortune hidden deep in the earth, halfway around the world in Zambia. This isn’t a scene from a sci-fi movie, but a reality for data scientists at KoBold Metals. They discovered a vast deposit of copper, using advanced AI technology, promising billions in annual revenue for KoBold Metals corporation for decades. But while this discovery seems like a win for Silicon Valley and the United States in the race against China for essential minerals, the implications for Zambia and its people are far more complex and troubling.

KoBold Metals, a company birthed in Silicon Valley, has been quietly revolutionizing mineral exploration with its AI-driven techniques. This new method has outpaced traditional mining, finding rich deposits where others failed. Their recent discovery in Zambia is touted as the largest copper find in over a decade, enough to produce millions of electric vehicle batteries. On the surface, this seems like a monumental achievement for technology and the fight against climate change. Yet, it raises an age-old question: Who really benefits?

Zambia, a nation with a long history of copper mining, has seen its wealth shipped overseas, leaving it one of the world’s poorest and most indebted countries. The landscape is scarred with environmental damage, and local communities have gained little from their natural resources. KoBold’s operation, despite its technological edge, is set against this backdrop of exploitation and neglect.

The copper from Zambia is critical not just for consumer electronics but for green technologies and military equipment. Yet, despite the wealth generated, the local people often see little of the profits. KoBold claims to uplift local communities, attracting top Zambian geologists and promising jobs. However, the nature of their underground mining operations means fewer employment opportunities compared to traditional open-pit mines.

Kennedy Bondola, a local who once worked in a nearby mine, now sees hope in KoBold’s project, dreaming that his village might finally transform into a bustling town. However, this optimism is tempered by the reality that these promises have been made before, often resulting in broken dreams and further impoverishment.

The involvement of Western governments and corporations in Zambia’s mining sector is hardly new. Historically, the region’s wealth has flowed outwards, enriching foreign nations and corporations while leaving local communities with environmental degradation and poverty. Today, AI and modern technology are merely the latest tools in this ongoing saga of exploitation.

Even as KoBold invests billions in mining operations and infrastructure, including a United States government-backed railway to transport the copper, the primary beneficiaries are likely to be foreign investors and the United States strategic interests, rather than the Zambian people. This scenario underscores a persistent pattern where Africa’s resources are extracted to fuel the economic engines of the West, leaving the continent to grapple with the fallout.

Zambia’s President, Hakainde Hichilema, is negotiating for a greater share in the mine, hoping to funnel more revenue into sectors like health and education. But given the country’s overwhelming debt and limited resources, these benefits remain theoretical and uncertain.

The stark reality is that while AI and cutting-edge technology can uncover and extract vast mineral wealth, they do little to address the underlying inequities and historical exploitation faced by African nations. As Western powers and corporations continue to tap into Africa’s resources, the cycle of wealth extraction and local impoverishment persists, now with a veneer of technological advancement.

The discovery of copper in Zambia by KoBold Metals, driven by AI, illustrates both the potential and the perils of modern mining. It highlights the continuing struggle for fair distribution of wealth from natural resources, the environmental and social costs borne by local communities, and the unbalanced benefits skewed towards Western interests. This story is a modern chapter in a long history of exploitation, reminding us that technological progress alone cannot solve deep-rooted issues of justice and equity.

Be sure to visit “Tharaka Invention Academy” where you can learn about how anybody can acquire the mindset, skills, and knowledge needed by all problem solvers, innovators, and inventors. The post entitled “Global Innovators: 101 Careers Transformed by Invention Skills” contains links to many more similar stories about these people worldwide.

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Mechanical/Solar Engineer, Prof. Oku Singer

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