Two Sierra Leonean government officials have spoken of the need for comprehensive reforms across Africa’s mineral, mining, environmental rights and climate justice frameworks for sustainable development.
At a recent joint conference on Natural Resources and the Environment in Freetown, Sierra Leone, Minister of Mines and Resources, Julius Daniel Mattai, advocated for the industrialization of Africa’s mining sector. He said that industrialization would allow natural resources to be extracted and processed in ways that drive economic development while improving the lives of African citizens.
Delivering the keynote address at the conference – jointly organized by the Public Interest Lawyering Initiative for West Africa (PILIWA), the African Climate Platform (ACP), Environmental Rights Africa (ERA), and the Mano River Natural Resources Rights and Governance Platform (MRU CSO Platform), Minister Mattai stressed that despite Africa’s wealth in natural resources, economic development remains a challenge.
“Africans are still struggling to make ends meet despite gaining independence decades ago,” he lamented. “It’s heartbreaking to walk through mining communities and not see real benefits—no quality schools, hospitals, or infrastructure. I challenge my colleagues to show me a mining community that has truly prospered.”
Minister Mattai highlighted the African Mining Vision (2009) as a guiding framework for ensuring that natural resources benefit African economies. He urged African governments to take decisive action to address resource management challenges. Additionally, he emphasized the importance of “critical minerals” used in industries such as electric vehicle production, insisting that the continent must move beyond raw material exports to value-added processing.
“Minerals don’t just appear from the sky. Someone must explore, mine, process, and manufacture before we can sell finished products,” he stated. He encouraged civil society and social justice advocates to push for legal reforms that would revolutionize Africa’s natural resource sector.
Convening under the theme: “Building a Just Future: Advancing Advocacy for Natural Resources, Social Justice, Civic Engagement, Environmental and Defenders Rights Across Africa” the gathering was dedicated to, among other activities, reviewing and validating the petition, seeking an advisory opinion from the African Court and reviewing and validating a five-year program of the Environmental Rights Africa (ERA) Coalition, aimed at adopting an environmental legal framework for Africa and adoption of a strategic African Climate litigation strategy.
Africa faces some of the world’s most severe environmental challenges, including deforestation, desertification, biodiversity loss, and the escalating impacts of climate change. The continent is experiencing rising temperatures, prolonged droughts, extreme weather events, and increasing sea level rise, all of which threaten livelihoods, food security, and access to clean water. Despite contributing the least to global greenhouse gas emissions, African nations bear a disproportionate burden of climate change consequences.
Environmental justice movements across the continent have long fought for equitable access to natural resources and stronger protections against environmental degradation. However, weak enforcement of environmental laws, corruption, and the prioritization of extractive industries over sustainable development has hampered progress. Many communities affected by mining, logging, and industrial pollution continue to face land dispossession, water contamination, and inadequate compensation.
Environmental Sustainability
Also speaking the conference, Sierra Leone’s Minister of Justice, Alpha Sesay, stressed the need for legal reforms to address environmental challenges and their impact on human rights.
“The environment is fundamental to human survival,” he asserted. “Regardless of whether we’re working within government or civil society, we must invest in reforms that empower communities to use the law to advocate for their rights.”
Minister Sesay assured delegates that Sierra Leone is committed to justice sector reforms that address climate change and environmental governance. He underscored the country’s growing role in global discussions on climate change, referencing Sierra Leone’s participation in the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea’s advisory opinion on marine environmental damage in June 2024.
He warned that climate change extends beyond rising temperatures—it threatens food security, water access, and infrastructure. “We are witnessing erratic weather patterns, devastating floods, landslides, and worsening droughts,” he said. “These crises displace vulnerable communities and threaten national stability.”
Minister Sesay also highlighted Sierra Leone’s legal submissions before the International Court of Justice, arguing that climate change is a human rights issue. He pointed to UN Human Rights Council resolutions affirming that climate change jeopardizes fundamental rights such as life, water, food, health, and self-determination.
As Sierra Leone continues its efforts in global climate governance, both ministers urged policymakers, activists, and legal professionals to push for meaningful reforms that align environmental sustainability with economic growth.
The call for environmental and climate justice in Africa is growing stronger. Civil society organizations, legal advocates, and grassroots movements are pushing for reforms that hold governments and corporations accountable for environmental harm. Additionally, international legal frameworks and climate agreements, such as the Paris Agreement and the African Union’s Agenda 2063, offer pathways for African nations to demand climate financing, enforce stronger regulations, and transition towards a greener economy.
Written by Cecelia D. Morlue and edited by P. Quaqua for the MRU CSO Platform Secretariat – a network of grassroots land and environmental defenders across West Africa
