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Host governments and communities commonly expect that the extractive industries provide jobs and contribute to skills development, especially in Sub-Saharan African countries where many young people join local labour markets in record numbers every year. This article reviews the literature and offers an empirically informed situation analysis on the demand and supply characteristics of the jobs and skills associated with the sector. Against this background, it discusses some challenges and implications for skills development interventions and offers some insights from the E4D/SOGA programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In several low- and middle-income countries rich in non-fuel mineral resources, mining makes significant contributions to national economic development as measured by the revised Mining Contribution Index (MCI-Wr). Ten countries among the 20 countries where mining contributes most (highest MCI-Wr score) have moved up one or two steps in the World Bank's country classification between 1996 and 2016. In particular, African countries have benefitted. Socio-economic development indicators also show signs of progress for African mineral-rich countries. This paper provides an update and expansion of an earlier study within the framework of the United Nations University (UNU) World Institute for Development Economics Research (WIDER) initiative Extractives for Development. Based on the detailed data available for the sector, such as production, export, prices, mineral rents, exploration expenditure and government revenues, an analysis is carried out of the current situation for 2016, and trends in mining's contribution to economic development for the years 1996–2016. The contribution of minerals and mining to GDP and exports reached a maximum at the peak of the mining boom in 2011. Naturally, the figures for mining's contribution had declined for most countries by 2016, but importantly the levels were still considerably higher than in 1996. The results of this survey contradict the widespread view that mineral resources create a dependency that might not be conducive to economic and social development. In addition, this paper presents an attempt to use already available socio-economic indicators for African mineral-rich countries to measure socio-economic developments. One preliminary conclusion of this survey is that mining countries perform better than oil-producing countries and non-mineral countries in Africa as measured by these indices of human development and governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers how to balance bilaterally negotiated mining contracts with mining legislation that applies to all companies. Its backdrop is the perception that mining contracts have become more widely used, especially in less-developed countries. Experiences have been mixed, prompting the questions of whether too much emphasis has been placed on them and whether this has come at the expense of strengthening sector legislation and the wider governance context for attracting investment. Drawing on a roundtable discussion convened for the 2017 Mining Seminar at the University of Dundee's Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy (CEPMLP), the paper lays open the ambiguous discussion on mining contracts and legislation. It first reviews the rationale for the use of mining contracts and then discusses their impact on the stability of investment conditions, the risk of corruption, the administrative burden on governments and on the development of generally applicable mining legislation and regulations, before going on to explore some underlying issues at stake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interests of governments and mining companies are pitted against each other. Labour migration restrictions prevent mining companies from accessing the right skills needed for their operations. With persistent skill shortages, the mining sector labour productivity declines at the same time as they fuel wage inflation throughout the economy. A broader policy approach on labour market development could relax restrictions for mining companies to access the skills they need at the same time it could go a long way in meeting governments' long-term priorities. The case was put forward at the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD; ). The GFMD gathers approximately 150 governments from developed, developing and newly industrialized nations to deliberate, exchange ideas and identify how collaboration between states can contribute to social and economic development in countries of origin and destinations and not least for migrants themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]