Gold beneath, gold above: Decolonising Africa’s resource narrative

For centuries, the narrative surrounding Africa’s wealth has been tragically misguided, meticulously crafted by external forces to serve their own interests.

It’s a narrative that fixates on what lies beneath our soil – gold, diamonds, coltan, bauxite, manganese, and a myriad of other precious minerals.

Indeed, Africa is home to the world’s richest deposits of these resources, including rare earth elements crucial for the development of modern technology.

We have Praseodymium (Pr), crucial for manufacturing magnets and aircraft engines, and Neodymium (Nd), crucial for manufacturing EV (Electric Vehicle) motors and wind turbine magnets.

Yet, the brutal paradox remains: we are consistently labelled the poorest continent, unable to produce or manufacture not even one of these technologies at an industrial scale.

This is not an accident that has become a world-known fact.

This “deep deception” was an intentional strategy by Western powers, designed to create an economy where only they would thrive.

By exploiting our minerals, they fuelled their industrial revolutions and boosted their economies all, while locking Africa into a perpetual role as a raw material supplier.

Our focus was expertly diverted downwards, away from our true, most abundant, and most powerful resource.

While we have been digging for diamonds, we’ve been overlooking a far more valuable treasure shining down on us every single day: solar energy.

Imagine, for a moment, the sheer scale of this untapped potential. If solar energy were a human body, we, as a global civilisation, have barely flexed a single muscle. And Africa? We are sitting at the very heart of its power.

We are exposed to an exorbitant amount of solar radiation, far exceeding that of many industrialised nations.

Unlike regions plagued by typhoons, tornadoes, or frigid, dark winters, most of Africa enjoys a stable climate with predominantly two seasons – wet and dry – offering predictable, consistent access to the sun’s immense power.

This inherent climatic stability minimises environmental interruptions, making Africa an ideal ground for massive solar energy harvesting.

We have the brains, the human capital, and vast, open lands perfectly suited for mega-scale solar farms.

Yet, our attention remains fixated on mining resources, often selling them at a fraction of their true value to the very “colonial masters” we must now learn to redefine our relationship with.

The term itself is painful, but the economic reality often feels no less binding.

Blueprint for solar age
It’s time to fundamentally shift our gaze. The real “rare earth elements” for Africa’s future don’t lie buried; they reside in the endless energy radiating from our sky.

Leveraging our solar exposure isn’t just an option; it’s a continental imperative, a radical act of economic decolonisation and self-determination.

The potential is not just significant; it is transformative.

If Africa fully embraces its solar potential, we could generate mass amounts of clean electricity, power new industries, and even produce green fuels.

This would not only boost our economy exponentially, but it would also redefine our geopolitical standing, making Africa the most powerful civilisation mankind has ever seen.

Crucially, an abundant, cheap and reliable energy supply will drastically reduce the cost of living across the continent.

With power being the foundational input for nearly everything—from manufacturing and transport to cooling and telecommunications—a solar revolution means cheaper goods, lower utility bills, increased competitiveness for businesses, and overall better quality of life for families.

Imagine a future where our minerals are restored to their rightful place.

Gold, diamonds, and other precious stones would adorn our creations – perhaps even a new generation of solar-powered flying vehicles – as symbols of beauty and innovation, rather than being the foundational commodity upon which an entire nation’s economy precariously rests.

Their use would be decoration, not the definition of our worth.

This grand vision requires an even grander commitment: unity.

We must set aside our differences, our tribal and nationalistic divides, and recognise that we are one people, standing together under the same sun.

Our strength lies not in the fragmentation inherited from artificial colonial borders, but in a unified, pan-African effort to harness our collective intellect, land and solar wealth.

The time for waiting is over.

The time for looking down is past. Africa’s true destiny lies in looking up, towards the boundless, inexhaustible power of the sun.

It’s time for us to collectively build the greatest continent on Earth – illuminated and empowered by its own magnificent light.

The writer is with the Istanbul Commerce University