While the countries of Central Africa within the Congo River Basin and bordering areas are home to Africa's greatest concentration of wealth in natural resources, they still count among the poorest nations on earth. The region is often afflicted by crises and conflicts that severely harm national economies and enfeeble already weak governmental structures even further. Is the region's vast natural resource wealth really responsible for this situation? Or does it come down to individual political and social conditions which, within a single generation, have transformed certain countries' abundance in raw materials into a source of common wealth for all their citizens, while at the same time turning those same riches in other countries into a curse?This book discussed the various demands being placed on good governance and transparency in Central Africa's raw materials sector and the prerequisites that must be met, and seek answers to the challenges faced.

ForewordGeological resources and governanceCase studiesArtisanal mining, gender and HIV/AIDS OutlookAuthor indexColour plates