Prof. Alvaro Nobrega

Universidade de Lisboa

Bio

Álvaro Nóbrega is a professor and researcher at ISCSP, University of Lisbon, with over 30 years of teaching experience. He currently coordinates the Master’s in African Studies and the associated Center for African Studies (CEAF), and teaches geopolitics and African studies. His research focuses on African politics and geopolitics. He is the author of Guiné-Bissau: um caso de democratização difícil (ISCSP, 2015) and A Luta pelo Poder na Guiné-Bissau (ISCSP, 2003).

Pan-African Geopolitical Narratives on Africa’s Mineral Wealth: A GIS-Based Reassessment

Abstract

This paper reassesses Pan-African geopolitical narratives of Africa’s extractive wealth through documentary analysis and GIS mapping of critical minerals, gold, diamonds, oil, and natural gas. It compares African production with global patterns and examines how colonial legacies, dependency theory, and sovereigntist discourse shape perceptions of resources and foreign investment. The findings confirm Africa’s strategic importance while revealing uneven resource distribution among its states and substantial extractive wealth elsewhere, challenging exceptionalist claims within these narratives.