Article Review On News Source (Publisher): CRC Press

** WORLD REGIONAL CURRENT EVENTS WORKSHEET **

Holistic Approaches to Transparency and Sustainable Development in the Extractive Sector
Link to Article: http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9780415582674
What did you already know about the article topic –OR-- the region it covers?(3-5 sentences) (Do NOT say that you “know nothing about the subject or the region it covers” – that is impossible. You should at least have an idea about the region from the chapter you read in the course textbook!).
The Sub-Saharan region is among the world’s regions that harbor world’s most ranked geological resources like diamond, gold, oil and uranium, but many of its countries (almost all) are still classified as developing. Despite poor governance resulting in many civil and international conflicts and wars, the region has suffered a lot from hunger, diseases, droughts and so forth. Further, the level of literacy, and thus technology is very low. However, many of these problems have been attributed to poor governance of the region by current and previous administrations.
2. Comprehensiveness of Information

A. The 5 "W's" and "H"(Be detailed – each answer should be at least 2 – 3 sentences)

1. Who?: The article is about government administrations in mineral extractive industries.
2. What?: It discusses reasons why inadequate or poor governance has led to the minerals not being beneficial to the people of sub-Saharan Africa.
3. Where?: It covers the whole of sub-Saharan Africa ( all of sub-Saharan countries)
4. When?: Published in 2011, it is a reaction of the discussions that ensued in 2009 in the conference of the Commission de la Communauté Economique et Monétaire de l’Afrique Centrale (CEMAC) on ‘Geological Resources and Good Governance in Central Africa’, held in Yaoundé.
5. Why?: The article want to institute good and adequate governance and transparency in the sub-Saharan Africa mining sector so that they could be beneficial for the development of the region.
6. How?: The publication has addressed to all stakeholders in the mining field such as international and private development agencies, civil societies, politicians and decision makers, economist, political scientists and the governments in general to ensure transparency.

B. Which of the 5 themes of Geography does this article most pertainto –AND-- explain in 3-5 sentences how it applies?:

The article discusses about a region, and in this case, sub-Saharan Africa. In this regard, it has unified the problem that affects the area as poor governance in the mining sector. The vernacular in this case is the “Sub-Saharan Africa”. However, it has also touched on Human-Environment interaction, in that one can see people modifying the environment for mining, with both negative and positive repercussions resulting.

3Magnitude of the event in story

A. Is it international, national or local?: The story is international or, particularly regional.
B. What is its impact or potential impact? How are or were people affected by it? (3-5 sentences): The poor governance has resulted in exploitation of resources. This has led to people being left in dire states of underdevelopment, diseases, hunger, wars and so forth. Obviously poverty has resulted due to the poor governance and lack of transparency in the sector.
4. Scholarly Reaction– In 3 – 4 paragraphs, summarize what you think of this article relating/supporting your thoughts to geographic themes you have read in your textbook and other sources.
The current situation in the sub-Saharan Africa has been referred to as the “paradox of plenty”. Despite the region showing unprecedented development, it is embroiled in series of civil wars, conflicts, hunger, diseases and so forth. Political scientists, environmental and geological professionals and economists all have pointed out that for a region’s mineral sector to develop, good governance is prerequisite.
Despite the current mineral resource wealth, various studies have conquered that there are anticipations that there are untapped mineral wealth in most part of the sub-Saharan Africa. What threatens people most is that the exploitations would add more paradoxes if good governance is not assured. Despite passing the benefits to the countries’ populations, the good and adequate governance will also have to ensure that exploitations of the resources are done with responsibility of sustainability.
Good governance also involves corporate governance of those firms participating in their exploitations. The mining firms should adhere to the countries’ mining policies, including paying taxes, management of wastes and sustainability. However, the countries’ political governances bare the most responsibilities to ensure that the mining processes consider sustainability, environment, paying taxes and accruing benefits to their people.