The Bafokeng Model: An Inspiration for Resource Management in Africa

The exploitation of natural resources in Africa has long been synonymous with dispossession, injustice and unequal development. While many countries on the continent are full of strategic minerals, their exploitation primarily benefits large multinationals and local elites, while the communities living on these lands derive little benefit from them. This situation, although widespread, is not inevitable. The example of the Bafokeng kingdom in South Africa demonstrates that another model is possible. This people, thanks to a visionary strategy and enlightened governance, has succeeded in transforming its wealth into a real opportunity for economic and social development. This example deserves to be studied to see how it could be adapted elsewhere in Africa, particularly within the framework of the African Mining Vision, which advocates greater local development of resources.

The Bafokeng are a community in northwestern South Africa who, since the 19th century, have become aware of the importance of protecting their lands. At a time when European settlers were seeking to take over resource-rich territories, the Bafokeng implemented an ingenious strategy by gradually buying up their land with the help of missionaries. This strategic choice proved decisive when platinum deposits were discovered under their land. Rather than see these riches exploited without any benefit to their people, they negotiated royalty agreements with mining companies, which allowed them to capture a significant share of the revenues generated by extraction. With these funds, they set up a community sovereign fund, the Royal Bafokeng Nation, which today finances schools, hospitals, roads and even local businesses.

This model represents a break with the classic logic where the exploitation of natural resources primarily benefits foreign capital and central states, leaving local communities marginalized. In many African countries, people living around mines or oil fields suffer more than they benefit from this wealth, often due to land grabbing, pollution and lack of income redistribution. The Bafokeng example shows that it is possible to adopt an approach where local communities become central actors in natural resource management. This approach could be adapted in several countries on the continent, by putting in place mechanisms that guarantee a better redistribution of mineral wealth and the active participation of local populations.

One of the first possible adaptations of this model concerns land security. In many African countries, land and subsoil belong to the State, which prevents local communities from directly benefiting from the resources found on their territories. Granting ownership or exploitation rights to local populations would allow them to negotiate with mining companies and obtain royalties or profit sharing. Without a clear legal framework that recognizes the rights of communities, they remain at the mercy of the decisions of the State and foreign companies. A land reform inspired by the Bafokeng model would create a more balanced relationship between operators and local populations.

The other key lesson of the Bafokeng model is the importance of a community sovereign fund to manage revenues from natural resources. Instead of depending solely on budgetary allocations from the State, these communities could have an autonomous financial structure that centralizes mining revenues and redistributes them in the form of investments in education, health and infrastructure. This type of mechanism already exists at the national level in countries such as Norway or Botswana, but it could be adapted to the local level, with guarantees of transparency and good governance. By allocating a fixed share of mining revenues to these funds, communities would become real actors in their development and could plan for the long term.

Another possible adaptation concerns the local processing of minerals. Africa continues to export most of its resources in their raw state, which considerably limits the creation of added value on the continent. The African Mining Vision, adopted by the African Union, emphasizes the need to develop a processing industry to maximize the benefits from minerals. The Bafokeng model offers a concrete example of what could be done at the local level. Thanks to platinum revenues, the community has invested in industries and services related to mining, which allows it to capture more wealth beyond royalties alone. If this model were extended to other countries, local communities could invest in smelters, refining units or even factories manufacturing batteries for electric vehicles, which are a promising sector in which Africa has a comparative advantage thanks to its cobalt, lithium and nickel resources. Governance is another key element in the success of the Bafokeng model. Unlike other mining regions where decisions are made in an opaque manner by elites far removed from local realities, the Royal Bafokeng Nation operates with a participatory governance system, involving traditional leaders, local entrepreneurs and the population in decision-making. This approach ensures that investments made truly correspond to the needs of the community and that funds are not diverted by private interests. If this model were replicated in other African countries, it could contribute to better management of natural resources and a reduction in mining-related conflicts.

Several African countries could benefit from adopting a model inspired by the Bafokeng. In Ghana, where gold mining is a major activity, the establishment of local sovereign wealth funds would allow mining communities to benefit directly from the revenues generated by gold. In Niger, a similar system could be established around uranium mines, in order to ensure that local populations are not simply spectators of the exploitation of their resources. Botswana, which has already managed its diamond resources relatively fairly, could go further by integrating a local redistribution mechanism for communities living around mining areas.

Adapting the Bafokeng model elsewhere in Africa would require profound legal and institutional reforms, but it would allow for real economic and social transformation. The key to success lies in recognizing community rights, establishing transparent local sovereign wealth funds, and developing a local resource processing industry. By drawing inspiration from this approach, African countries could move from an extractive economy, where resources are exploited without lasting benefits for local populations, to a transformational economy, where these riches become an engine of collective prosperity.