Seeds of dependency, mines of despair
postcolonial exploitation of Africa’s agriculture and natural resources repackaged as progress
Keywords:
postcolonialism, dependency theory, extractivism, food sovereignty, AfricaAbstract
This paper examines the colonial and postcolonial exploitation of Africa’s land, agriculture, and natural resources, arguing that contemporary development agendas continue to function as mechanisms that legitimize and reproduce colonial extraction and dependency. Drawing on dependency theory, postcolonial scholarship, and political ecology, the study analyzes agriculture and mineral extraction as key sectors through which these dynamics are reproduced in the present. Through a critical analysis of academic literature and institutional reports, the paper demonstrates how initiatives such as the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), as well as the expansion of cobalt mining for the purposes of the digital and green transition, deepen economic dependency, ecological degradation, and social inequality rather than supporting sustainable development in these African countries. The paper argues that real sustainable development requires African solutions rooted in sovereignty and autonomy, specifically African control over land, seeds, and natural resources. This includes processing agricultural products and minerals within African countries, rather than exporting them as raw materials, so that employment and economic value remain local. In addition, it highlights the need for legally enforceable community rights over land and resources, as well as structural reform of international financial and trade conditions, which currently privilege external capital and corporate interests over social welfare, ecological sustainability, and the long-term development of African societies.
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