Whatever has a beginning has an ending, and that is the reason
why it is advantageous to have alternative choices. Most of Africa has made the
choice of natural resource dependency, generally due to poor leadership.
Countries are living off one resource or another, and have kept blind eyes to
industrialization. Devastating wars have been fought, and are still been fought
for the control of these resources by rival ethnic groups.
In these countries,
the government is the largest employer of labor. Selfish tyrants in the guise
of patriotic leaders have seized power with the barrel of the gun raped and
looted the national treasury. Colonial Africa in terms of economic growth made
giant strides, and makes a mockery of post independence Africa. Oil has been
the biggest industry for economically redundant countries, most of which are in
Africa and the middle east. Africa with all her oil and other natural resources
is still refered to as 'the sleeping giant'.
The worst is still yet to come for Africa, unless it puts its
house in order immediately. The 3He isotope(Helium 3), might be the next major
source of power in the world, if research at University of Wisconsin-Madison
continues as expected. Helium 3 has been found in abundance in the Moon's
regolith just below the surface of its maria. It is a resource worth mining and
bringing to Earth; it is more valuable than oil, gold, diamond, or even
enriched uranium. The Moon's Helium 3 is worth about 3 billion dollars(US) a
tonne. The Moon has enormous reserves of Helium 3, in the order of one million
metric tonnes.
According to reports, one metric tonne of helium 3 will generate
enough electricity for Nigeria for two years. Helium 3 can be mined and
processed in to liquid form for utilization on earth. The projections for
commencement of such project are as follows, ten years at the earliest, and fifty
years at the latest. Helium 3 can be used in fusion reactors producing 'clean'
electricity, with little or no radioactive waste, unlike present nuclear
reactors. Research studies have shown that a 20 ton lunar mining machine,
brought to the Moon could collect the regolith and using solar energy extract
the 3He which could be ferried to the earth. By-products of the extraction
would include water, nitrogen, hydrogen, methane, all extremely valuable life
support elements for lunar colonies.
It was coal then, oil now, and would be Helium 3 in the near
future. Is Africa prepared for this transition that might bring her to her
knees economically. To very few African countries the answer might be a small
'yes'. To the oil dependent economies including Nigeria(the giant of Africa),
the answer is a big 'NO'. Man would be able to land and explore other planets
from the moon, and the chances are that more minerals might be found in
abundance in these planets. On this note, the entire earth might yield its
vital natural resources to lunar mining. The natural resource dependent
countries would bear the brunt, as they would be thrown out of the world
market. What these countries could not do in natural abundance, I doubt they
could achieve in famine.
Africa should wake up, I mean now, to take control of her
destiny. The party and inept days are numbered. Globalization and possible loss
of natural economic might, could spell another slavery, but this time economic
enslavement. Agriculture might be a way out, but as it stands the west enjoys
comparative advantage due to her technology and political stability. The time
for Africa is now, and the place is here on earth. A word is enough for the
wise. Nigeria turns forty one years today. Happy birthday Nigeria! The time for
you 'giant of Africa' is now, because a fool at forty is a fool forever.
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