A study of the harmonisation of national mining policies conducted by the United Nations Economic Council for Africa (UNECA) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) in 2009 concluded that “As large-scale mining activities increase, Malawi should benefit from a SADC-wide approach to sharing best practices, particularly in those areas in which it has no direct experience” (UNECA/SADC 2009: 17). Sharing best practice remains pertinent today as highlighted by key informants interviewed in this study from all stakeholder groups and given that Malawi is committed to the Africa Mining Vision (AMV) and SADC Protocol on Mining and Harmonisation Framework. Beyond sharing best practice, regional harmonisation, integration and cooperation will improve the outcomes for Malawi's extractive industries through, as the AMV elucidates, “transparent, equitable and optimal exploitation of mineral resources to underpin broad-based sustainable growth and socio-economic development”. The shape and direction of the relationships between SADC member states in and for the mining sector are already determined in the existing aforementioned agreed Vision, Protocol and Framework; however, the pace and extent of implementation is uneven across the region and it is important that implementation is reviewed in terms of progress, challenges and benefits, which is related to country context and variable geometry in the region.This country study was commissioned by the Open Society Initiative of Southern Africa's project Southern Africa Resource Watch (SARW) under its project “Harmonisation of Mining, Policies, Legislations and Regulations in Southern Africa”. The overall goal of this project is to design a regional mining harmonisation framework to support the regional industrialisation policy, mineral ownership and regional development, which is line with the AMV.

This book explores the impacts of current mining licensing regimes in Africa and how they influence sustainable development principles. International law and conventions on mining are used as a lens to examine a regionalized perspective of the history of mining law and customary land law. Alternative approaches are then suggested, through a comparative and sovereignty-based study of mining laws and policies, to see how the challenge of uneven development can be combatted using minerals. This book aims to highlight how mineral possessions can transform communities if the economic policies, customary law structures, and the geopolitical landscape guarantee inclusivity and equal partnerships. It will be relevant to researchers and policymakers interested in mineral economics, mining law, and African economies.

This book develops a discursive ‘equalitarian’ theoretical framework for studying African mining ecosystem issues and policy interventions. The theory of ‘equalitarianism’ is developed as an alternative to the reductionist approach that has dominated post-colonial debates about the classical jus ad bellum requirements to empower women in development spaces. However, the classical approach narrows the debate down to “women issues,” rather than the ‘whole-of-society.’ As a consequence of this reductionism, women continue to be devalued in the mining sector, characterized by poverty traps, power struggles, and a lack of capacity to engage in large-scale mining (LSM) activities. This book advances principles for a holistic approach, and spells out the implications for women across the mining value chain. Drawing on moral scholarship, the book poses that for women to gain access to strategic spaces in the mining sector, the drive for empowerment must be embedded within ‘whole-of-society’ principles. This book is of interest to scholars researching gender policy, public policy, political philosophy, conflictology, and human geography. It also offers practitioners a guide for evaluating their policy work on mainstreaming gender in the mining sector, presenting options for financing, forging partnership and planning for an inclusive economic development in Africa, and beyond.

Using political and public administration perspectives, this book argues that for democratization and integration to be consolidated and institutionalized, direct involvement of the people of Southern Africa is paramount. Democratization and integration are about people, the sovereigns, and not merely the abstract actors called nation states.

This book looks at the fundamental issue of governance in Africa. After half a century of experimenting with democratic institutions, African countries are still ambivalent about the complete or absolute adoption of this form of governance. Africa lost tremendous human and natural resources in the struggle for political and economic independence. What form of governance African leaders adopt will determine how worthwhile this sacrifice has been to the African people. This issue is the major challenge facing Africa, and addressing it is of high urgency. Employing a political economy framework, this book provides some insights into to dealing with this complex issue of democratic governance in Africa.