Politics decisive for how natural resource investments are implemented in Africa

Large-scale natural resource investments in Africa can potentially help transform the continent’s economies. Invariably, they also affect existing rights to land and often provoke conflicts at the local level. Though often depicted as land or resource ‘grabs’ by foreign investors, the relations between local populations and investors are complex. Investments processes are inherently political and the role of political elites should not be underestimated. International guidelines and best practice standards to prevent infringement on existing rights to land exist, but the reach of such interventions will remain limited without a better understanding of the relations among all the involved parties.

This new DIIS Working Paper, The political economy of land and natural resource investments in Africa: an analytical framework develops an analytical framework for analysing the implementation of large-scale investments in natural resources. It focuses on the triangular relations between investors, local populations and political elites. It is an early outcome of the Hierarchies of Rights: Land and Natural Resource Investments in Africa research project. The project involves scholars from DIIS, Roskilde University, the University of Dar es Salaam and the University of Eduardo Mondlane.