Rapheka Lives Like Larry

Policy Analyst• Human Rights, Governance & Development Expert• YMCAChangeAgent• Pursuing Myself

[Rapheka Lives Like Larry @rafikamalunga]

@MrMekzy_ As an outsider what are your views on intelligence?

[Rapheka Lives Like Larry @rafikamalunga]

@MrMekzy_ Your food for thought leaves everyone hungry.

[Rapheka Lives Like Larry @rafikamalunga]

“It does appear to me that Africans do not accept criticism in general. They do not like opposition. If you oppose an African, he takes you for an enemy”

- Harry Nkumbula.

[Rapheka Lives Like Larry @rafikamalunga]

@ChefTobi__ 3 Idiots

[ActionAid Zambia @ActionAidZambia]

#Peoplepower #Actionaid #Actionaidzambia

[Rapheka Lives Like Larry @rafikamalunga]

@ActionAidZambia Mining revenues have far too long bypassed local communities. Congo, one of the most resource rich countries in Africa, 73-75% of the population live on less than $2.15 a day according to the World Bank.

Extraction without development begs the question Why Do We Mine?

[Rapheka Lives Like Larry @rafikamalunga]

@ThelastEvans Kabwe is finally cheating back and ba LSK can’t take it. lol

[Rapheka Lives Like Larry @rafikamalunga]

@Slick_ZM I Follow Back ❤️@rafikamalunga

[Bizzle @ThenamesKabu]

FINALLY!!! I could actually cry. ZEMA needs to tell us why they’ve just been sat on this report. This assessment was done within 30 days of the spill fyi. 1.5 million tonnes of toxic waste not even the reported 50,000. Sorry I can’t be concise, I’m just glad the truth is out 😭😭

[Rapheka Lives Like Larry @rafikamalunga]

But minus political will, civic pressure and institutional coherence, they risk becoming symbolic rather than transformative.

From a policy analyst’s perspective, to answer the question ‘Why Do We Mine?, we must beg the question ‘Whose interest does mining serve?

#Extractives

[Rapheka Lives Like Larry @rafikamalunga]

The Political Economy of Mining in Africa.

Mining in Africa isn’t just an economic activity but a political act. Beneath every ton of copper or ounce of gold is a web of incentives,institutions and interests that determine who benefits,who loses and why reform remains elusive.

[Rapheka Lives Like Larry @rafikamalunga]

Communities are “consulted” but rarely compensated and transparency becomes a checkbox not a tool for justice.

Frameworks like the Africa Mining vision,@EITIorg and the SADC protocol on Mining offer pathways for reform.

#MiningAfrica

[Rapheka Lives Like Larry @rafikamalunga]

@chriseciaokoye Never. I still don’t eat green oranges and I am scared of women in black dresses.

[Rapheka Lives Like Larry @rafikamalunga]

@SheilaKhama @MbuiWagacha Very insightful perspectives. From a policy analyst perspective I keep pondering on the foundational question you posed that I am of the view that every African Leader must start seriously considering, “Why Do We Mine?”.

[Sheila Khama @SheilaKhama]

Listen to @MbuiWagacha in #Kenya who says Africa is captive to natural resources export reliant economic systems. Click link for the full podcast interviewhttps://share.transistor.fm/s/7489cdd5 and subscribe to https://t.co/1rSUXCh6n2 to receive an alert on this and other series.

[Rapheka Lives Like Larry @rafikamalunga]

1. The political economy of mining in Africa;
2. Who benefits and who bares the cost;
3. How governance can transform extractives.

Because the real question isn’t just ‘Why We Mine’ but Why we keep mining the same way.

Let’s rethink it together.

[Rapheka Lives Like Larry @rafikamalunga]

Why Do We Mine?

Not how, not where, not what but why.

Why do we continue to extract when communities remain displaced, ecosystems degraded and fiscal returns often misaligned with public needs?

Mining is often framed as a necessity for economic growth and infrastructure…

[Rapheka Lives Like Larry @rafikamalunga]

Yet necessity without governance becomes exploitation. Particularly in Africa, where extractives dominate GDPs, the why of mining is inseparable from the “who” and the “how”.

This post marks the beginning of a series where we’ll explore;