Valuable knowledge of African

Diaspora in European policy

making
Team number 1296
Project name Storytelling on the involvement of Dutch citizens with African roots
in policymaking concerning Africa.
Team members Kim Baudewijns
Mark van der Boon
Mohammed Degnet
Noura Harrath
Danielle Korf

Commissioner WUR Science Shop, Africa in Motion

Date June 26, 2014
Abstract
The potential of the African Diaspora to provide input (in the form of knowledge) on EU- Dutch
foreign and economic policy concerning Africa hasn’t yet actively been explored and used. The 2008
EU Raw Materials Initiative has been developed without taking in to account the views of the African
Diaspora. This report investigates and makes explicit the knowledge the African Diaspora could bring
in when consulted in EU/Dutch policy on raw materials. We used a semi-structured questionnaire
based on the 2008 Raw Materials Policy consultation document to interview nine African Diaspora
from different countries of origin. We adopted the theoretical framework of Social learning theory to
deconstruct the knowledge and ideas provided by the Diaspora and compare it with the existing
document. Our analysis suggests that the combination of tacit and explicit knowledge the
respondents possess, but also the fact that the Diaspora are familiar with both the European/Dutch
and African contexts gives them a special role and makes them capable of providing valuable and
unique contextual insights. However, to increase the involvement of the Diaspora, a well-structured
and organised approach on such a policy topic is needed within the Diaspora communities.

Key words: African Diaspora, Knowledge, Social learning, EU Raw Materials Initiative, policy making,
storytelling, public participation

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Table of contents
Abstract ................................................................................................................................................... 1
Introduction............................................................................................................................................. 4
1. Background .......................................................................................................................................... 5
1.1 Diaspora......................................................................................................................................... 5
1.2 Raw material initiative................................................................................................................... 5
2. Theoretical framework ........................................................................................................................ 7
2.1 Knowledge ..................................................................................................................................... 7
2.1.1 Social learning theory (Lave) .................................................................................................. 8
2.1.2 Explicit knowledge .................................................................................................................. 8
2.1.3 Tacit knowledge...................................................................................................................... 8
2.1.4 Knowledge and opinions ........................................................................................................ 9
2.1.5 Relevance of Social Learning Theory ...................................................................................... 9
2.2 Public participation........................................................................................................................ 9
2.2.1 Introducing public participation ............................................................................................. 9
2.2.2 Types of Public participation ................................................................................................ 10
2.2.3 Relevance of Public Participation Theory ............................................................................. 11
3. Methodology ..................................................................................................................................... 12
3.1 Research questions...................................................................................................................... 12
3.2 Data collection and tools ............................................................................................................. 12
3.3 Data type ..................................................................................................................................... 13
3.4 Sampling methods ....................................................................................................................... 13
3.5 Data analysis procedures and interpretation .............................................................................. 13
3.6 Validity ......................................................................................................................................... 14
3.7 Reliability ..................................................................................................................................... 15
3.8 Ethics ........................................................................................................................................... 15
3.9 Limitations ................................................................................................................................... 15
4. Analysis and Results .......................................................................................................................... 16
4.1 Analysis and comparison of the collected data from the interviews .......................................... 16
Part 1: Defining (critical) raw materials ........................................................................................ 16
Part 2: Trade policy........................................................................................................................ 17
Part 3: Development..................................................................................................................... 18
Part 4: Transparency ..................................................................................................................... 20
Part 5: Policy area of promoting skills and research, development and innovation .................... 21

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 Part 6: Resource efficiency and recycling ...................................................................................... 23
Part 7: Analysis of general remarks and comments ...................................................................... 24
Part 8: Analysis of the organization and contribution of the Diaspora and comments on the
questions ....................................................................................................................................... 24
4.2 Knowledge analysis ..................................................................................................................... 27
5. Conclusion and recommendations .................................................................................................... 31
6. Discussion .......................................................................................................................................... 34
References ............................................................................................................................................. 35
Appendix................................................................................................................................................ 36

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Introduction
In 2010 the European Commission prepared the second EU Raw Materials Initiative (RMI) and invited
a large number of stakeholders to answer a set of questions on raw material policy issues. However,
the foundation Africa In Motion noticed that none of the consulted stakeholders represented the
African Diaspora. Africa In Motion believes that the potential of the African Diaspora to provide input
(in the form of knowledge) on foreign and economic policy concerning Africa hasn’t yet actively been
explored and used despite its critical significance. This can also help them play an important role in
the development of African countries.

The purpose of this report is to investigate the knowledge that the African Diaspora could bring in
such policy initiatives and thereby serve the broader goal of providing recommendations to EU/Dutch
policy makers to enhance the involvement and representation of the African Diaspora in policy
consultations. In line with this we developed the following broad research question:

What knowledge can African Diaspora contribute to the EU policy on raw materials?

Nine intellectuals among the diaspora at various levels of education were interviewed. The
respondents were originally from Ethiopia, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Cameroon and Togo. Based on the
interviews with the respondents from different professional, social and cultural backgrounds, this
study aims to contribute to the growing area of research into the significance of the inclusion and
participation of the African Diaspora by exploring their potential to contribute to European policy
making. It is beyond the scope of this study to examine all policies in which they can potentially
contribute; therefore the focus of this study is on the Raw Materials Initiative only.

While a variety of definitions of the term African Diaspora have been suggested, this paper will use
the definition suggested by the African Union (2005) who saw it as follows; “The African Diaspora
consists of peoples of African origin living outside the continent, irrespective of their citizenship and
nationality and who are willing to contribute to the development of the continent and the building of
the African Union.” However, this research focuses on African Diaspora who currently live in the
Netherlands. This together with the limited number of respondents will limit the applicability and
generalizability of the findings. In addition the African Diaspora is a very large and broad community
comprising individuals with a very diverse background, motives, interests and visions. Hence, this
again will limit the scope, applicability of our findings and should be taken in account. Another
limitation of our research might be related to lack of experts on raw materials among our
respondents. This will limit our comparative analysis with the EU document where most of the
stakeholders consulted are experts in the field.

The report is organized into six chapters. The first chapter introduces the background to the Raw
Materials initiative and the consultation round that shaped it and provides the definition of the
African Diaspora in the context of this research. The second chapter is the theoretical framework
where the Social learning and public participation theories and their relevance for the research is
elaborated. The third chapter explains the methodology. In chapter four the comparison of the
results of our interviews and the existing EU Raw Materials Initiative consultation document is made.
In chapter five, conclusion and recommendations. Finally, the sixth chapter provides the discussion in
which it is explained how the data can be interpreted and what the overall results mean.

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1. Background
In order to understand the conclusion and recommendations made in this report, it is important to
have an understanding of the context in which this research was undertaken. This chapter provides
background information regarding the Raw Material Initiative and the consultation round which
helped to shape the Initiative. Furthermore an explanation is given of what and who is meant when
talking about ‘African Diaspora’.

1.1 Diaspora
In order to answer the research question, a clear understanding of what Diaspora, and in particular
African Diaspora is, is needed. Originally the term was used in relation to the Jewish dispersion, but
nowadays Diaspora is used as a “metaphorical designation to describe alien residents, expellees,
political refugees, expatriates, immigrants, and ethnic and racial minorities.” ((Akyeampong
2000:184). According to Akyeampong, a person must meet six requirements in order to be part of
a/the Diaspora:

 The person, or his/her ancestors must have been dispersed from a specific area to one or
several foreign regions.
 The person must have a shared memory or vision with other Diaspora regarding the original
homeland (It’s geographical location, the history etc...)
 The person is not, or does not have the feeling that they can be, completely part of their host
society.
 The person considers their home country as their ideal home and wishes (themselves or their
descendants) to return when the conditions allows them to.
 There is the conviction that the Diaspora as a collective should “...be committed to the
maintenance or restoration of their original homeland and its safety and
prosperity...”(Akyeampong 2000:185)
 Their Ethno Communal consciousness and solidity is largely defined by their relation to the
homeland (a relation that can exist in various ways).

The African Union has applied these six points and has come up with a clear definition of what
African Diaspora is: “The African Diaspora consists of peoples of African origin living outside the
continent, irrespective of their citizenship and nationality and who are willing to contribute to the
development of the continent and the building of the African Union.”(African Union 2005). This
definition will be used in this report as it fits the criteria for our research. The respondents need to be
from African descent and need to be situated in the Netherlands. Furthermore they need to have an
interest in contributing to the development of their home continent.

1.2 Raw material initiative

In the last decade, a worldwide increase in the demand “...for commodities, increasing competition
[regarding commodities] and rising commodity prices...” (Küblböck K. 2013:3) took place.
Furthermore a shift in the demand for certain commodities and materials took place because the
requirements for green technologies are different than for traditional technologies. All these factors
affect the EU growth policies. To deal with these issues, an EU initiative was launched in 2008, that
focused on securing access to raw materials which are non-energy and non-agricultural(European
commission 2011, Küblböck K. 2013). In 2010 a second EU initiative on raw materials was launched.

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During the preparations of this initiative, stakeholders from all kinds of raw material sectors were
invited to provide input, by answering a number of questions regarding raw materials policy issues.
In February 2011 the communication on commodities markets and raw materials was published. It
partly based on the just mentioned open consultation round (European Commission 2013). The
consultation round from June until September 2010 and concerned several policy fields, namely:
industry, raw materials, environment, trade, development, research and innovation. The
consultation round had a large potential target group that differed from citizens to private
organizations and public authorities. Furthermore industry associations, trade unions and
environmental organizations were all welcome to answer the questionnaire (European Commission
2013).

The second raw material initiative has as goal to secure and improve EU access to raw materials.
Fourteen critical raw materials were identified that demand special attention(European commission
2011). Furthermore, the three pillar-based approach already created in the first initiative was
adjusted an elaborated. The three pillars in the second initiative are:

 Assure sustainable supply of (all) raw materials from the international markets to EU
member states.
 Encourage the sustainable supply of raw materials within the European Union.
 Promote and increase resource efficiency and promote recycling.

(European Commission 2014)

The RMI is not a legal document but merely a policy document, and will be implemented on various
decision-making levels. It is furthermore related to different EU policy measures.

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2. Theoretical framework
This chapter outlines the theoretical framework that serves as a guideline for executing this research.
It enables the researchers to obtain the research objectives and answer the main research question
and sub research questions. This theoretical framework discusses the academic literature on social
learning theory concerning the concepts of knowledge and public participation. This was also used as
a guideline to design and structure the interviews and compare the interviews with the Raw
Materials Initiative document. With this theoretical framework a core set of concepts can be
connected to the research results.

The theoretical framework consists of the following elements:

2.1 Knowledge
The theoretical backbone of this research is the social learning theory. This theory will be used to
analyse the kind of knowledge African Diaspora have. In this paragraph, the social learning theory will
be explained and a clear explanation why it will be used in this study will be given. The social learning
theory implies that learning is an inherently social practice. Learning is informed by the context; time
and space, which means learning (so acquiring knowledge) and there is not one real way of
learning/doing/seeing the world (Lave 1996). However in order to be able to make a comparison
between the existing RMI and the knowledge provided by the respondents, a framework is needed.
Kothari et al. (2011) provide such a framework(Kothari, Bickford et al. 2011). They make the
distinction between tacit and explicit knowledge. Both are an umbrella term for various kinds of ways
to acquire knowledge. What tacit and explicit knowledge entail will be discussed. The complex
relation between knowledge and opinions will also be elaborated on to show that tacit knowledge
can be valuable knowledge that should be taken into account seriously by for example policymakers
who might consider this as opinions rather than knowledge and therefore discard it. Finally the
relevance of social learning theory is discussed.

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2.1.1 Social learning theory (Lave)
The social learning theory implies that learning is an inherently social practice. Learning is informed
by the context, time, and space. “[It] is an aspect of changing participation in changing
practices”.(Lave 1996:120) According to Lave the differences of how learners “ come to shape and
shape their identities with respect to different practices” are enormous (Lave 1996:120). Therefore
methodologically, the social practice of learning is effectively investigated through ethnographic
research, which highlights the contextual and situational character of learning and knowledge.
All people involved in a certain practice, work with the same kind of knowledge that is specific for
that practice, they learn by doing. This is also called social learning.

2.1.2 Explicit knowledge

In the hegemonic representation of science the dichotomic idea exists that there are two kinds of
knowledge in the world: given and non-given(Mato 2011). The former sees “science as a mode of
knowledge production, and scientific knowledge as the accumulation of scientifically produced
knowledge have universal validity” (Mato 2011:410). The latter would be named as ‘other’ forms of
knowledge, which “would encompass a broad variety of kinds of knowledge that is, the modes of
knowledge production and their results that, in contrast to the ‘universal’ validity of scientific, are
usually characterized as ‘ethnic’ or ‘local’, or, in any case, as ‘particular’ knowledge, that are
specifically ‘not-universal’”(Mato 2011:410). Mato argues that the “shortcomings of hegemonic
academic knowledge [is] to understand social processes profoundly marked by cultural differences,
historical conflicts and inequalities” (Mato 2011:409).

“... Explicit knowledge include[s]: research literature, the Internet, popular magazines, formal
assessments (surveys and interviews), legislation and regulations...” (Kothari, Bickford et al. 2011:1).
Learning and knowing is not reduced to participation, which is sometimes the point of focus of social
learning theorists. Instead, Yakhlef proposes a more inclusive approach that includes content
knowledge (knowledge disconnected from individuals or contexts) as well as types of knowledge that
exist in social situations (resulting in experiences or interactions). Giving space to ‘ content
knowledge’ acknowledges for example the transfer of knowledge, which is carried across contextual
boundaries (Sfard 1998). Yakhlef (2010) refers to ‘ content knowledge’, or the corpus of knowledge
that does not belong to any particular individual or context (Yakhlef 2010). Examples of this are
scientific knowledge, historical knowledge, and technological knowledge or management knowledge.

2.1.3 Tacit knowledge

There exist two different aspects of knowledge according to Kothari et al (2011): explicit and tacit
knowledge. Where explicit knowledge includes roughly documents, tacit knowledge includes: “…past
experiences, organization-specific knowledge, community contextual knowledge, and the recognition
of the tacit knowledge of others” (Kothari et al. 2011:1). The two aspects of knowledge are
sometimes intentionally combined.

Kothari et al. (2011) note “…tacit knowledge plays an important role in practitioners’ interpretation
and implementation of explicit research findings. This indicates a need to broaden the scope of
knowledge translation to include other forms of knowledge beyond explicit knowledge acquired
through research. Strategies that recognize and support the use of tacit knowledge, such as
communities of practice or networks, may be important components of a comprehensive approach
to knowledge translation” (Kothari et al. 2011:1). “Tacit knowledge is multifaceted and drawn from

8
individual professional experiences as well as through shared understandings that develop with team
members (co-workers and stakeholders) over time.” (Kothari et al. 2011:1).

Smith-Merry (2012) shows a case of a health policy in Scotland, where the involvement of
practitioners in a consultation round is hard to measure (Smith-Merry 2012). This is due to the
difficulties that many policy makers face to include the knowledge of practitioners in the policy. The
experiential knowledge (the knowledge that practitioners gained in their work) finds voice through
the sharing of practice based anecdotes, but is not easily transmittable from an oral form to the
more conventionally rigid document formats which structure consultation responses and policy
documents. This explains the limited impact of the knowledge expressed by practitioners.

2.1.4 Knowledge and opinions

Often knowledge is seen as objective and opinion as subjective. In this perception knowledge is a
given, objective fact. But as mentioned before, when knowledge is understood as a social construct,
the distinction between knowledge and opinion becomes less clear. Knowledge entails all that is
constructed in the social arena. Opinion is personal and is based on knowledge –either experiential,
action based, interactional etc).

2.1.5 Relevance of Social Learning Theory

The relevance of the social learning theory to our research lies in its emphasis on learning as an
inherently social practice, which is informed by the context, space and time. The stakeholders
involved in the RMI consultation round are mainly citizens and organizations from Europe who have
no or little exposure to the socio-economic, institutional, cultural and environmental realities in
Africa. Within the framework of social learning theory, the contributions of these stakeholders are
mainly derived from their explicit knowledge, which is just one way of getting knowledge.
Furthermore, these actors lack the connection with the complexities and diversity that exist within
Africa in general and in specific countries in particular.

On the contrary, the African Diasporas are expected to have knowledge informed by the context on
the ground due to their exposure to the realities in their countries of origin. In addition to their
contributions from their explicit knowledge acquired in their studies and researches, they can add
more as a result of their tacit knowledge. This has been witnessed in our interviews where our
respondents provided additional insights (on the RMI) which they derived from their past and
professional practice experiences, interactions, community contextual knowledge and the
recognition of the tacit knowledge of others. These combinations of knowledge possessed by the
Diaspora makes them useful actors who can contribute to well informed policy making that suits
local conditions.

2.2 Public participation

2.2.1 Introducing public participation
All over the world, public institutions appear to respond to the calls from activists, development
practitioners and progressive thinkers for greater public involvement in decision-making and more
accountability for governments to following through on their commitments. One of the ways this can
be achieved is by ‘public participation’. Yet what exactly ‘participation’ means to these different
actors can vary significantly (Cornwall 2008).The widespread adoption of ‘participation’ across a

9
spectrum of institutions -from radical NGOs to local government bodies to the World Bank- raises the
question what this much used buzzword has come to mean (Cornwall 2008).

The International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA) defines public participation as: “the
involvement of individuals and groups that are positively or negatively affected by a planned
intervention (e.g. a project, a program, a plan, a policy) or are interested in it.”(André 2006:1). Public
participation is multi-purposive and can have different aims and goals. One of the goals can be to
foster justice, equity and collaboration among the affected publics but it can also have an
educational and informative purpose. This informative purpose can go both ways: the public can be
informed, or information can be collected from the public (input for improvement, new insights).
Both seek to better the public acceptance and support. Levels of participation vary very much. In the
next section, the different types of participation will briefly be discussed, using the ladders of
Arnstein and Pretty’s typology.

2.2.2 Types of Public participation

There are various forms of participation and many of the typologies and ‘ladders’ of participation
focus on the intentionality, and associated approach, of those who initiate participation(Cornwall
2008).

A well-known ladder of participation is produced by

Arnstein (Figure 1). Even though it was originally
developed in 1969, it retains considerable temporary
relevance. Arnstein’s point of departure is the citizen
on the receiving end of projects or programmes.
‘Citizen control’ appears at the top of the ladder and
‘non-participation’ at the bottom. Arnstein makes a
distinction between: 1) ‘citizen power’, which includes
citizen control, delegated power and partnership, 2)
‘tokenism’, in which she includes consultation, informing and placation and 3) Non participation’
includes therapy and manipulation(Cornwall 2008). It is worth noting that the activities she
associates with ‘tokenism’ focus on the efforts of (development) organizations claiming to promote
participation. The World Bank, for example, includes both giving information and consultation as
forms of participation, and goes on to equate the provision of information with
‘empowerment’(Cornwall 2008) .

While this ladder looks towards participation from the perspective of those on the receiving end,
Jules Pretty’s typology of participation speaks more about the user of participatory approaches
(Cornwall 2008). Pretty makes the distinction between various kinds of participations, such as
‘manipulative participation’ where participation is simply a pretence and ‘passive participation’
where people are simply informed on the decision made. She also states there are also more active
forms of participation, such as ‘participation by consultation’ in which people are being consulted on
predetermined topics. ‘Participation in material incentives’, entails that people contribute by
providing resources (such as labour or money) and can also be considered active
participation(Cornwall 2008).

The most active forms described by Cornwall are ‘interactive participation’ and ‘self-mobilization’. In
interactive participation, people actively contribute to a joint analysis, development of action plans

10
and formation or strengthening of local institutions. Self-mobilization refers to people taking
initiatives independently of external institutions to change systems.

A critical note made by Cornwall is that participation, especially in the form of consultation is widely
used as a tool of legitimizing already-taken decisions, providing a thin veneer of participation to lend
the process moral authority(Cornwall 2008). Outcomes of such consultations are open to being
selectively read and used by those with power. There are rarely guarantees that what is said during
consultations will be responded to, or taken into account. In order to have effective public
participations several principles need to be applied. Andre (2006) provides an overview of these
principles and explains how these principles can be operationalized. Andre states this kind of
participation needs to be adjusted to the context in which it takes place and the sessions need to be
informative and proactive. To be effective, public participation should be initiated early and be
sustained during the whole process and at different levels of decision-making. Furthermore the
meetings should be well planned and the aims, rules, and procedures should be clear to all
participants(Endré 2006).

Reflecting on what democratic participation constitute today, warren remarked that democratic
equality is complex equality implying that “Participation is democratic when every individual
potentially affected by a decision has an equal opportunity to affect the decision.” (Warren
2002:693)

2.2.3 Relevance of Public Participation Theory

The definition of public participation provided by the IAIA states that participation should include all
those who will be directly or indirectly be affected by a policy or are interested in it. In line with this
definition, we argue that any policy related to Africa can affect the African Diaspora or is at least
interesting to them. Most of the Diaspora have part or all of their families and relatives in their
home countries. The major reason for their coming to Europe is to be able to support their families
and relatives back home. In this respect any initiative that will affect the socio-economic situations in
their home countries will also affect them either directly or indirectly. Besides democratic
participation today implies that democratic equality is complex, equality implying that participation is
democratic when every individual potentially affected by a decision has an equal opportunity to
affect the decision. This justifies the need for involving the African Diaspora in any policy
consultations that will affect them as well as giving them the opportunity to be able to affect the
policy decisions. Furthermore, African governments are reaching out to diaspora. Ghana, Nigeria,
Senegal, and South Africa have launched several plans to incorporate their diaspora communities as
partners in development projects. Several African countries (among them Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali,
Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, and Uganda) have established institutions (at the agency or
ministerial level) to interact with the Diaspora.

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3. Methodology

The methodological approach of this research is based on qualitative research methods. As has been
mentioned earlier, the goal of this research is to find out what knowledge African Diaspora can
contribute to the EU policy on raw materials.

3.1 Research questions

To achieve this goal the main research question has been put forward: What knowledge can African
Diaspora contribute to the EU policy on raw materials?

In order to operationalize and thereby define the concept of knowledge, a literature study was
conducted. This resulted in the set-up of a theoretical framework on different knowledge types that
individuals or groups can have.

With the help of this framework, three research sub questions have been created. The sub research
questions are:

1) What explicit knowledge do African Diaspora refer to when consulted about the RMI?

2) What experiences do African Diaspora have that can contribute to improvement of the RMI?

3) What actions can African Diaspora undertake to increase their representation in policy
consultation rounds?

3.2 Data collection and tools

Because this study on the added value that African Diaspora can bring in, there is a need to do a
comparison to the knowledge that already exists among stakeholders. Interviews were used to get an
insight in the different kinds of knowledge of African Diaspora have regarding raw materials and the
RMI. During the first meeting with the commissioner it was decided that the best way to acquire the
knowledge of the Diaspora using qualitative, in-depth interviews. It was decided to use qualitative
methods because the original consultation round held by the EU was of qualitative character
(qualitative questionnaire) and in order to compare the results of the African Diaspora, a similar
method had to be chosen. Furthermore, this research has an explorative character because of the
focus on gaining insights and familiarity with the topic. It was decided that then that semi-structured,
in-depth interviews would be most suitable to find out what knowledge there is among African
Diaspora, and can also serve as added value to the RMI.

Consequently, the basis of the questionnaire used in this research would be the existing
questionnaire that was used during the consultation round of the EU. This is important as to have the
option to compare the results of the consultation round with the data required in this research.
However, some questions were slightly modified to increase the clarity and thus the understanding
and response of the respondent. Furthermore, due to time limitations for researchers as well as
respondents (two weeks for execution of interviews), a selection of questions was made, however all
topics (except one) of the consultation round have been covered. The topics are:

1. Criteria on the criticality of raw materials

2. Trade policy EU and African countries

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3. Development policy

4. Policy area of promoting skills and research, development and innovation

5. Resource efficiency and recycling

The topic that was left out is the improvement of the regulatory framework conditions inside the EU.
This topic was not considered to be relevant for the study and does not reflect the background of
respondents that do not have a professional position in the European Union. A sixth part was added
to the questionnaire, where room was provided for asking general questions, so that respondents
were able to give some extra comments and stories.

3.3 Data type

In order to answer the sub research questions, and therefore the main research question, different
kinds of data were collected. In order to get an understanding of who the African Diaspora are, a
literature study has been conducted regarding this subject. A literature study has also been
conducted regarding public participation, to get an understanding of how the Diaspora could have
played a role in the policy making process. Most of this literature was collected using search engines
for academic writings like Scopus or Google Scholar. Some documents were provided by respondents
or the expert and commissioner. Several websites were used, especially to collect data regarding the
Raw Material Initiative of the EU, as information is freely available online and easily accessible. Most
of the literature research took place in the beginning of the research, the first four weeks as it also
formed a solid basis of knowledge that would prove useful during the interviews.

3.4 Sampling methods

In the research purposive sampling was used. The sample was small (nine respondents) and the
respondents were selected on certain characteristics, like their significant knowledge and feeling of
involvement with raw materials and trade policy. This reflects the purpose of the study. This also
increases the comparativeness, as the participants of the earlier consultation round were assumed to
have a significant background knowledge and all feel involved in the topic. Some respondents were
put forward by Africa In Motion and by the commissioner. After these interviews, respondents were
asked whether they knew other people who might be interested to participate in the research. This
snowball sampling has resulted in a number of other respondents. Furthermore, the personal
networks of the researchers have been used to find other respondents. The respondents would be
contacted at first by e-mail in which the subject was introduced and they were asked if they would be
interested. In some cases there has been phone contact in order to arrange the meetings or provide
additional information. Some of the respondents from the personal networks from the researchers
were asked during informal settings whether they wanted to participate. The interviews ranged from
60 minutes to 180 minutes each and they took place in the participants’ offices or in public places
like a library or an university. For every interview, two researchers were assigned to question and
take notes. The conversations were all recorded with the permission of the respondents.

3.5 Data analysis procedures and interpretation

After collecting the data in the form of interviews, the interviews were transcribed and coded by
applying the open coding method in the software programme Atlas.ti. This initial stage of coding was
followed by axial coding, also by means of the Atlas.ti programme. In a later stage of the analysis the
process of open coding helped identify concepts that emerged from the raw data and that were

13
grouped into conceptual categories. These categories were analysed to identify certain patterns that
emerged from the data. Eventually we built theories in the inductive process of grounded theory. See
figure 2.

Figure 2: Workflow of Grounded Theory methodology (Shahedul Huq Khandkar)

The interviews were also used to create narratives that could be illustrative for the conclusion of this
research.

3.6 Validity
The internal validity of the research could have been threatened, as some relevant persons were not
willing to participate in this research. Also there were potential respondents, with possible new and
interesting insides that did not reply to our request. The reason for this is unknown. The internal
validity of the research might also have been threatened because interviews were conducted in
different environments for every participant. This might have influenced the answers they gave
because some of the locations might have felt more secluded, while other locations like the public
library might have caused respondents to be reluctant to share their thoughts because they didn't
want other people to hear it or maybe even because the topic is a sensible topic to them. Because of
that they might not have been completely honest, which can lead to incorrect data.

The external validity in this study is quite low, because the research question is specifically aiming at
African Diaspora in the Netherlands. The African Diaspora is highly diverse and consists of many
different nationalities. The representativeness of members of the African Diaspora for the rest of the
Diaspora is also highly questionable. To what extent the results of this research can be generalized to
other members of the African Diaspora is therefore unknown. More insight in this can be given by
comparing results to other scientific researches related to the topic of this research. Since there was
not much time to conduct the interviews, we decided to conduct only ten interviews. Through
purposive sampling and snowballing the respondents were found. This could implicate that the
respondents know each other or are in the same business networks. And this in its terms could lead
to a one sided view on the topic.

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3.7 Reliability
Reliability concerns whether different researchers can make the same observations when the
methods and procedures described in the methods part are followed. To increase the reliability an
interview guide was produced. This way the accuracy and consistency was increased so to improve
the reliability.

3.8 Ethics
All data gathered was anonymously coded and treated as strictly confidential, except for the stories
that are used for storytelling. These respondents gave their permission to publish (parts of) their
interview and/or their picture. Relations with respondents, commissioner, coach and expert to
collect data and get feedback were kept professional and participants and stakeholders were kept
informed about the research progress and findings. The researchers kept an open mind and were
open for questions, suggestions and feedback. Throughout the analytic process, the researchers kept
in mind how the findings would be used and how participants in the setting would react. Throughout
the analytic process, the researcher should always keep in mind how the findings will be used and
how participants in the setting will react. In all cases the data should always be treated confidentially
and the researcher should always act integer.

3.9 Limitations
One of the major limitations in this research is time. The interviews were held within a timeframe of
only two weeks. This led to the loss of certain respondents that were not able to meet with us within
that short time frame.

15
4. Analysis and Results

4.1 Analysis and comparison of the collected data from the interviews

Part 1: Defining (critical) raw materials

The first section of the questionnaire was about identifying critical raw materials. In this part, a
description will be given on how the respondents identified raw materials. Next the definition of a
critical raw material of the RMI and the ones given by the respondents will be compared. Finally, the
indicators that define the criticality are discussed and some alternative indicators are provided by the
respondents.

The respondents were asked to define what they considered ‘critical raw materials’. One clear
definition was provided by one of the respondents: “Raw materials are any materials which are
inputs for industries, businesses or any production processes...” (Respondent 1). In the interviews,
raw materials were mostly referred to as ‘extractive materials’ such as metals and gemstones, but
natural products such as rubber have also been included.

A number of the respondents related ‘critical’ to a shortage in supply of raw materials or the threat
of it, in the future (Respondents 1,4,8). This corresponds with the description given in the Raw
Material Initiative: “Critical raw materials are those which display a particularly high risk of supply
shortage in the next 10 years and which are particularly important for the value chain”(European
commission 2011:12). However, the respondents gave a second type of definition, which is more
formulated from an African perspective. These definitions focus on the negative aspects and the
economic consequences for the country in which materials are obtained. Several things were
mentioned, such as the economic consequences if prices of raw materials would drop (Respondent
2), the environmental consequences of the extraction process (Respondents 1,3,4,7) and the relation
of raw materials practices with unrest and war (Respondent 8). This significantly differs from the
definition used in the Raw Material Initiative because that focuses in particular on the risks of
distortion of the sustainable supply of raw materials.

The respondents extensively discussed the indicators of raw materials that were used in the
questionnaire. While some of the respondents saw positive elements within these indicators
(Respondents 2,8) a lot of critiques were given. One respondent (Respondent 8) said these indicators
are well formulated, but he notes that they are not put in practice. Another respondent agreed with
this statement and made clear he believes the terms are just buzzwords. A critique that was broad-
based among the respondents is that the policy is focused on the needs of the European Union
(Respondents 3,4,6) and on the insurance of the safety of EU investments (Respondent 8), while the
indicators do not consider the problems the Africans face (Respondent 3). Several alternative
indicators have been put forward and most of them are linked to the way the respondents define
critical raw materials. Most of the alternative indicators consider the negative impacts of extracting
resources. In one of the interviews it was mentioned that people suffer from the extraction in various
ways and this should also be considered as an indicator (Respondent 7).

According to a number of our respondents, another indicator should be the environment. Mining and
plantations, in example for rubber, can have devastating effects on the environment (Respondents
1,3,4,7). Finally, health was proposed as an indicator. People in the mining business suffer from

16
health issues and polluted water in the rivers. This water is used for consumption and irrigation
downstream (Respondent 3).

Part 2: Trade policy

An important part in the raw material initiative, and therefore a section of the questionnaire is about
trade policies. First critiques regarding trade on both Europe as well as Africa are given. Next the
three pillars, which form the base of the trade of raw materials are discussed. Finally, an idea on
processing in Africa will be elaborated.

Critiques on the trade policies

Most of the criticism was directed towards Europe, which was regarded as forcing Africa to agree
with a certain policies (Respondents 4,6). The respondents found that the trade policy was set up in
the favour of Europe. According to most of the respondents, Europe was the one making the policies
and therefore understood the rules of the negotiation processes better. This provides Europe a
better negotiation position (Respondents 3,6,7,8,9). Europe has the power to set and form the policy
and can take advantage of the trade relation (Respondent 1). One respondent (Respondent 2) poses
the rhetorical question: “How many African countries have the power to manipulate Europe?” It can
be concluded that the trade relation is regarded as unfair by several respondents (Respondents
1,3,5). According to one of the respondents African countries are practically forced to sign an
economic partnership agreement at the moment. The ones who don’t want to participate are being
threatened with not receiving development aid from the European Union (Respondent 4). Another
critique of the respondents focused on the standards, which Europe proposes to hold. The EU
proposes to have different standards for companies working in Europe and Africa (European
commission 2011: 15). In one interview it was mentioned that the standard held in Africa is lower
than the standard held in Europe. In the same interview it is said that it is important to hold the same
standards for Europe and Africa (Respondent 4).

As mentioned above there were also critiques mentioned regarding the role of Africa. One
respondent believes the African Union should be better organised (Respondent 7). Furthermore a
number of respondents agreed that the African countries should create their own trade policy
(Respondents 3,4), with which they can make propositions and learn how to negotiate terms and
conditions (Respondent 4). According to the African Diaspora that were interviewed, the political
interests within African countries form a barrier for further development (Respondent 2). Leaders
and governments are under social pressure to accept (trade) deals, which might not always be in the
advantage of the African people. The deals are about large amounts of money (Respondent 4). This is
linked to acts of corruption (Respondents 3,4).

Finally critique was made regarding the relation of Europe and Africa. “There is an imbalance, which
needs to be readdressed, to become more fair” (Respondents 2,6). The policymaking can be more
fair if a more participatory approach is applied (Respondent 5) in which knowledge and long term
thinking are at the core (Respondent 4).

17
The three pillars and processing in Africa
First of all, the three pillars in the RMI were criticised by questioning the notion of sustainability.
“Who’s sustainability?” (Respondent 6). The RMI communication does not provide one definition of
sustainability (European Commission 2011). According to the respondents, the idea of sustainability
is set according to European ideas and standards. Because of the strong (European) sustainability
paradigm, which does not give room to alternatives, it difficult to come up with a real alternative
(Respondent 4). Three respondents, consider sustainability for Africa in terms of environmental and
in economical factors (Respondents 1,2,5). The respondents identified more issues that are at stake
besides the ones addressed by the three pillars, but they are seen as difficult to identify (Respondent
2). Especially because the focus of the European Union policy is very specific, written from a
European perspective.

On processing and value addition in Africa all respondents were outspoken. Firstly, it was proposed
to make a policy in which processing takes place in Africa (Respondent 2). Secondly policies about
processing are questioned, why not act straight away, and build companies to process on site, in
Africa (Respondent 9). “Processing [of raw materials] should be done in Africa … at least (processed)
halfway” (Respondent 3). The argument given by most respondents for processing in Africa is that it
creates jobs and through these jobs people have an income and eventually are able to purchase
finished products (Respondents 3,9) Which could also be beneficial for Europe. For this reason
Europe should invest and research in this (Respondent 4).

Several other issues were also raised by the respondents. They encourage value addition by local
companies: “Local investors reinvest in the country, foreign investors take the revenue out of the
country” (Respondents 1,9). Furthermore, the respondents believe it is beneficial to enforce the
African Union’s position in negotiating trade policy with the European Union. It was also mentioned
that the position of African countries should be strengthened by investing in local competencies, as
this is closely related to development.

Part 3: Development
In the RMI communication it is stated that the European Union(EU) and African Union(AU) agreed to
develop a bilateral cooperation in the field of raw materials(European commission 2011). The 2010
agreement took into account development issues such as good governance, infrastructure and
investment and geological knowledge and skills (European commission 2011).

In contrast to the EU-AU agreement to enhance European financial and political support for the
Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), and help developing countries to implement it,
most of our respondents emphasized talking with local people in raw materials resource-rich
countries on how they do things and try to develop them (Respondents 5,6,8). There is a need for
rethinking and being creative and innovative in developing governance systems that make things
work better. This is again in sharp contrast to the proposal of the European Union commission to
share best practices with large international organizations such as the World Bank, IMF, and the
African Development Bank.

The respondents were asked what specific actions regarding development are needed in each of the
above-mentioned areas. With regard to infrastructure and investment, most of our respondents
emphasized a focus on the needs of the local people is needed. Anyone involved should have to

18
listen to the concerns of the people in the raw materials countries. Most of our respondents noted
that the investments so far have been only on extractive infrastructures that mainly serve to exploit
the raw materials. In contrast, our respondents called for infrastructure investments that are tuned
to the concerns and needs of the local people. They also indicated that the infrastructure
investments should be of long term and directly benefit the local people. Such infrastructures
mentioned include hospitals, schools, water and roads. These proposals are different from the
infrastructures proposed by the European Union commission which mainly include transport, energy
and environmental infrastructures. The Commission also clearly stated that these are needed to
ensure sustainable use and supply of raw materials as opposed to the long-term needs of the people
emphasized by our respondents. Most of our respondents also warned that the focus of the
European Union on extractive infrastructure and the lack of attention to the needs of the local
people will negatively affect the efforts to ensure sustainable use and supply of raw materials. This is
due to the protest and instability that will emerge when the needs of the local people are not met.
With respect to geological knowledge and skills, the respondents pointed out the need to establish
institutions or to create programs within existing institutions that provide trainings in African
countries themselves. They argued that bringing people to study in European universities for two or
four years may not help achieve the intended result as the knowledge and skills acquired in Europe
may not fit the context in Africa or the trainees may lack the skills to implement them in African
context (Respondents 2,9). This contrasts with the focus of the European Union on supporting
programs on specific minerals with in Erasmus Mundus. In addition, respondents indicated the need
to promote processing skills instead of extractive geological knowledge. An important point
mentioned was the need to consider the local social knowledge where local people have developed
ingenious ways of identifying raw materials areas and extracting them. It was also added that these
skills and some of the knowledge should be seen in light of sustainability and environmental impact
and passed on to the younger generation.

According to (Respondent 1) what is needed is Justice, fair trade and economic justice. Our
respondents also emphasized that good governance is a difficult concept because of the criteria for
good governance. Who determines what ‘ good’ is? According to the respondent (Respondent 8),
Europe is modelling Africa and considers a governance is good only when it is in favour of the West.
The respondent states that European democracy and governance may not fit Africa. Europe supports
Africa to build good governance in return for raw materials, which is fair (Respondent 8). For the
respondents, good governance starts with information and knowledge sharing (Respondent 4).

The respondents were also asked what concrete objectives and targets should be included in the
agreement between the EU commission and AU Commission. Most of them stressed the need to
include value addition on raw materials in the agreement. They also asked for special attention for
the technological knowledge of the community and a focus on sustainability and environmental
impact. Other objectives mentioned include skill transfer, shifting investment to processing industries
than extractive ones. Finally, there was a call for more transparency. This issue of transparency is
discussed in the following section.

19
Part 4: Transparency
Transparency was put forward in the first three parts of the questionnaire and is considered as
important for most of the respondents. However transparency is considered important in different
ways. In this section, the different kinds of transparency are discussed.

Revenue transparency

The respondents were asked what measures the European Union should take to foster revenue
transparency in the mining industry in raw materials resource rich countries. At present the
European Union is trying to achieve this by promoting more disclosure of financial information for
the extractive industry and including the possible adoption of a country-by-country reporting
requirement. Furthermore, the Commission will take into account progress made by the
International Accounting Standards Boards on an International Financing Reporting Standard for
extractive industries, as well as the current status of legislation of third countries active in the region
(European commission 2011).

According to most of the respondents, the European Union is not the only one who has a right on
having transparency. They emphasize the need to make information on revenue generated from the
extractive industry public to everyone. When the issue of transparency is raised during the
interviews, it is often associated with corrupt officials in the raw materials resource rich countries.
According to (Respondent 2), transparency is key to combating corruption because it will expose
corrupt officials and it will be easier to bring such individuals to justice. It will increase the threat of
being caught, which discourages people to be involved in corruption.

Market Transparency

In the Raw Material Initiative it is written that, “The EU will encourage partner governments to
develop comprehensive reform programmes that clearly identify objectives such as improving […]
contract transparency.” (European commission 2011:15) According to the European Union increased
transparency “...help[s] society at large and national supervisory bodies to hold governments and
companies to account for revenue payments and receipts, and thus decrease fraud and corruption
and ensure a more predictable trade and investment climate”(European commission 2011:15).

While transparency is considered to be important according to most of the respondents, the manner
how to acquire more transparency differs significantly. The RMI states that the European Union will
try to improve the transparency in all the levels of the supply chain (European commission 2011). The
importance of transparency on all levels of the production and supply chain has been declared during
interviews (Respondent 2, 5).

As mentioned earlier, the respondents feel that the European Union is mainly focused with
transparency for herself (Respondent 8). Contracts between European Union members and African
countries regarding mining are made, while the people within the countries where extraction takes
place have no insight regarding the deals that are made. So there is also lack of transparency towards
the people (Respondent 8). In several interviews the dark sides of 99 year contracts are recalled and
if the people would be aware of these contracts, they would never accept (Respondents 8,9). It was
also mentioned that African Diaspora want transparency for Africa from transnationals, as they are
‘taking’ from the African countries, however information about how much is earned by the

20
companies is kept secret (Respondent 2,4). In order to increase transparency “exploration and
exploitation should be coordinated by both the local government and the European Union”
(Respondent 1). This would not just prevent corruption, as mentioned in the previous section, but
also prevent mismanagement (Respondent 3).

According to the respondents, transparency would increase if part of the processing would take place
in the places where the raw materials are excavated (Respondents 3,4), as has been suggested in
section 3 of this chapter. It is easier to measure how much (half)products are leaving the factory,
than how much raw materials are leaving the mines. Furthermore, a lot of (material and financial)
transactions can be prevented, which increases transparency (Respondents 3,4). An alternative
measure that is mentioned is putting the price on processing and not on the raw materials.

Criticism on transparency

Some respondents are critical whether lack of transparency is the problem that needs to be
addressed and whether it is not the power relations that need to be dealt with. Those in power who
are controlling the resources, if money can be made by staying untransparent, nothing will change
(Respondent 2). Another power imbalance is also mentioned in relation to transparency. Western
governments tend to have a much stronger negotiation position and more information than
southern governments. It gives southern governments the feeling they are forced to sell the their
products (Respondent 5). In order to get more transparency, the European Union should focus on
these power imbalances.

Part 5: Policy area of promoting skills and research, development and innovation
Part of the Raw material initiative is about research, development and innovation programme and
opportunities at EU level. In the RMI document. The RMI communication states that promoting skills
in the raw materials sector is a matter of concern. Therefore the European Union supports research,
development and innovation programmes via the European Regional Development Fund that
provides funding for research, innovation and business support measures for raw material
exploration and extraction (European commission 2011).

Gaps in the EU policies

The respondents were asked to define what they considered as major gap or urgent regarding these
programs and policies. Just like in many other sections the lack of attention for
environment(Respondents 1,5,8) and the needs of local people and their livelihood (Respondent 1,5)
were mentioned. One respondent makes the link between these issues and the security of a
sustainable supply of raw materials, which is desired by Europe and which could be a good incentive
to take these issues into account. Furthermore it was again mentioned that the initiative was too one
sided towards the EU and the African perspective was not taken into account (Respondent 6). To
tackle these problems, it was proposed that programmes and research should also include the
education and employment of Africans. (Respondents 6,8).

One of the respondents agrees and says that development and innovation programmes should start
at the human level: What can an individual contribute? (Respondent 5). Respondent 9 thinks a major
research gap concerns what he calls the institutional problem and resource management. Because of
conflicting interests of local stakeholders there are a lot of conflicts. He thinks investing in value

21
addition, as has been suggested in part 2 of the analysis can contribute to solving many of these
conflicts. This is backed up by other interviewee’s (Respondents 3,4).

Another respondent (Respondent 8) points out that it is important to take into account what the
impact is when mines are exhausted. He proposes that local governments should shift towards hiring
their own researchers to do the research because now corporations do it and the outcomes are in
the favour of the corporations. This also links another issue namely that the African countries do not
have the proper infrastructure to deliver researchers or knowledge on innovation, recycling materials
and resource efficiency. This links back to the Idea that was discussed in section 2, that suggests that
education needs to take place in Africa. This will positively impact the security of raw materials, for
the European Union but first and foremost for the African countries and people.

Although the European Union takes steps to invest in research, development and innovation, it is
mainly focused on “..improving its [EU] knowledge base on actual and future deposits of many
important raw materials and to stimulate the extractive industry to deliver new products to the
manufacturing industry...”(Communities 2010), which are located outside the African countries of
extraction. The needs of the African people and the problems they face are not so much included. In
its defence, RMI states “an element of the strategy is the need for a “raw materials diplomacy" is
anchored in wider policies towards third countries such as promoting human rights, good
governance, conflict-resolution, non-proliferation and regional stability”.

Actions to improve cooperation

One of the questions the European Union asked their consultants was if they could propose what
type of actions could provide better cooperation between companies, universities and public
authorities in order to promote skills in the raw materials sector. This questions was also asked to the
respondents from the African Diaspora.

One of the actions proposed a respondents (Respondent 1) was to create platforms knowledge can
be shared among stakeholders. “This will promote the transparency so that stakeholders cannot shift
their responsibilities to others”. He thinks European companies should also create platforms or
websites to link with Africans. This idea is in line with what the European Union works on, they have
for example the Technology Platforms on Sustainable Mineral Resources (ETPSMR) and Forest-Based
Sector, but they are based on European rather than African needs and benefits. According to
(Respondent 4) universities already work together but this collaboration is based on a very narrow
knowledge basis. According to him an inventory needs to be made to see what knowledge is there
and see what is needed regarding the extraction process.

When asked for their awareness of innovative exploration and extraction technologies and
implementation of new technologies and which innovative technologies need to be developed
further, the respondents could not directly answer the question. One respondent (Respondent 9)
came up with the issue that local investors cannot compete in the international market and are more
focussed on the local markets. It was suggested the EU should invest in value addition and this can
improve the technologies. Furthermore it is suggested that foreign companies shouldn’t only hire
skilled manpower but should also invest in unskilled labour if they want to stay in the country for a
longer period of time so that the expertise is present in the African places of mining (Respondent 2).

22
This helps preventing economic leakages and brain drain in Africa was also mentioned by three
respondents (Respondents 2,4,8).

Part 6: Resource efficiency and recycling

In the EU raw material initiative the importance of recycling and resource efficiency is mentioned.
According to the document, too many end of life products are not properly recycled and this means a
loss of valuable resources and significant impact on the environment (European commission 2011).
The focus of the respondents is on the effects of Africa and the dumping of (nearly) end of life
products and not so much on the loss of valuable resources, which is an important focus issue in the
EU Raw Material Initiative.

Many of the interviewees have an idea of the problems that lack of resource efficiency or recycling
efforts have brought, in which they describe different aspects of the problems that it has given in
African countries. Some of the respondents mention the transport of old electronics, such as cars and
fridges to Africa, instead of sending them back to the place where they have been produced
(Respondents 3,4,8). These practices have great consequences for the environment and cause
serious health issues because the electronics are disassembled in very unhealthy conditions.
However not only broken and of line products are shipped to Africa (Respondents 4,8). The
respondents also raise the issue of the exporting vehicles to Africa that have almost reached their
lifespan (Respondent 2). Another respondent raised an issue he called 'European slums', where
people buy electronic equipment like refrigerators, but they quickly stop working and when this
happens, there is no one that can fix these highly complex technologies. The respondent considered
this is the result of an unfinished recycling flow, in which he identifies the need for factories that can
recycle the products that have reached the end of their lives (Respondent 3).

The respondents believe this shipping of (near) end of life products should be addressed and this is
indeed part of the EU raw material initiative as it is stated that the treatment of waste should take
place under fair and sustainable conditions and that more effective control mechanisms will be used
on waste shipments (European Commission 2013). Several solutions, of which a number fits within
the EU policies are proposed, to prevent dumping of old and near the life spent products. For
example, the monitoring the flow of raw materials from the beginning to the end, so it is known what
materials are used in which products. (Respondents 4,6,8). Furthermore, it is suggested that bilateral
agreements, and waste transport and dumping should be made between the EU and African
countries (Respondent 1). Another solution does not focus on preventing but suggests tariffs should
be charged when near end of life products are imported in Africa. With this money, factories can be
build that recycle the products (Respondent 3). Another option is that recycling takes place in Europe
where there is more knowledge about recycling (Respondent 3). A critical remark towards all of these
measures was made by one of the respondents. He said that none of these measures will succeed if
knowledge will not be shared between the EU and African countries and the actors involved
(Respondent 4).

The respondents see possibilities how a better approach by the EU could be beneficial for both the
EU and the African countries. One of the respondents states that better recycling and reducing
pollution is beneficial for the whole world (Respondent 4). One of the respondents suggests more
recycling should take place in Europe. This reduces the flow of end of life products into Africa, but
also the outflow of valuable resources in Europe. Furthermore, an enlarged recycling sector in

23
Europe could be a tool to create more job opportunities within Europe. The respondent provides an
example of a company in Belgium that already extracts gold in mobile phones. However, these things
do not take place on large scale (Respondent 4). This solution fits well with the European policy. In
the first Raw Material Initiative, from 2008, it was already mentioned that the EU would try to
promote recycling markets by “legislation, standards and labelling, public procurement, financing,
knowledge sharing and international action...” (Commission of the European communities 2008:12)

During the interviews, a critic was made regarding the lack of legislation enforcement, by the EU as a
consequence of the urgent need of raw material supply and security. It was argued that there is a lot
of knowledge by organizations that take initiatives on environmental protection as well as knowledge
institutes. However the application of this knowledge is missing, as policy-makers and the industries
are too rushed and thinking in terms of competition and supply needs. Therefore, products are
quickly made, but at the end of the lifespan, there was not a plan set up from the beginning how to
handle the product from beginning to end (Respondent 4).

Part 7: Analysis of general remarks and comments

The respondents were asked which additional topics they think should be included in the Raw
Materials Initiative. Most of them noted that safety and environmental sustainability policy should
be included. They linked the safety of the workers in the mines with ensuring sustainable and secure
supply of raw materials. This can be explained in terms of the positive attitude of the local people
towards the companies when they are offered safe working conditions and compensations if needed.

According to one of our respondents (Respondent 4), the European Union should consider the
interdependence of its interests with Africa and should work towards tackling the challenges in Africa
not only for Africans but for its own sake. All of our respondents think that there should be a
standard on the quality of raw materials, which they also linked with transparency and fair trade.

Part 8: Analysis of the organization and contribution of the Diaspora and comments on
the questions
This chapter is separated in two parts. The first part will discuss how the Diaspora are organised and
why they did not participate in the consultation round. The second part will discuss why the Diaspora
should take part in consultation rounds on policies regarding raw materials.

The organisation of the Diaspora

To get something done, organisation is needed. This applies also for the African Diaspora. For a
difficult topic in which expertise is needed this is especially true. According to one of our
respondents, for a topic such as the Raw Material Initiative, a person or an organisation is needed,
that motivates people and brings a topic to people’s attention(Respondent 7). In the Netherlands,
there are a great number of organisations and groups as pointed out by some of our respondents
(Respondent 3). However, just as Africa is highly diverse and divided, so is the African Diaspora living
in the Netherlands (Respondent 4). Often individuals find a problem or a challenge and then this
person tries to set up a group (of some kind) and tries to tackle this problem, many of these groups
therefore differ in philosophies, visions, missions and are organised regionally (Respondents 5,7).
Furthermore the African Diaspora is a very diverse group because they come from many different

24
countries and regions; furthermore they belong to different tribes, have different cultural and
educational background and have come to the Netherlands for a great number of different reasons.
Because of this diversity of the Diaspora, there is not one leader that speaks for all Africans. There
are only some people that represent sections of the Diaspora.

The respondents were asked why no or very little Diaspora or Diaspora organizations were involved
in policy consultation rounds. A number of reasons were given. The fragmentation leads to some
difficulties to tackle problems such as the resource issue, discussed in this paper. It is a sector in
which you have to deal with multinationals, states and the European Union and these are very big
players with high interests. An individual cannot do anything and an Organization needs to be very
well organized and work fulltime on issues like resources, mining and policy making (Respondent 7).
For the African Diaspora this is very difficult, because many of them are volunteers and have (part
time) jobs besides their work for their organisations (Respondent 7). Because of the lack of
organisation, many organisations work in a very reactive way (Respondent 7). This might also have
been the case with the (open) consultation round. Because there was not an organisation that could
be contacted, they were not included in the consultation round. This partly explains why there are
not many African Diaspora organisations that are involved with Natural Resources issues
(Respondent 7). Many of the respondents only knew about ‘Africa in Motion’.

Furthermore, it was mentioned that the questions of the questionnaire were challenging. It might
be, some people were not able to give answers to these questions. Furthermore, to understand all
the issues regarding raw materials, one needs a lot of specialized knowledge. In relation to this, the
respondents were asked if they find the questions in the interview difficult to answer. Most of them
remarked that the questions were complex and difficult for them as they were not related to their
area of expertise (Respondents 1,2,5,8,9). For some, they were not difficult as they are related to
their educational background and research works (Respondents 3,4,6,7). They indicated however
that most of the questions require specialized knowledge to answer them. In this regard, they
suggested breaking down the questions in to parts so that they can be easily understood and more
people will be able to participate in the consultations. One of the respondents stressed that there
were sufficient experts among the Diaspora but they are more focussed on research and they do not
“bring it down to the normal man on the street” (Respondent 8).

Another reason that was given for the lack of participation was that many African Diaspora are not
concerned with the issue, because it is very complex and has no direct relation with their daily life.
This might be because they are not well informed (Respondent 7), or because people are more
involved with other topics. Many Diaspora are also here to make a living and to earn money so they
can send some remittances to their family in their home country (Respondent 8). Finally, there is a
feeling of powerlessness among the African Diaspora. They are minorities and they have the feeling
they are left out. This has been the reason for the emergence of some organisations in order to give
these people voice, in policy making for instance (Respondent 4,8). However a critic note was made
during some of the interviews. Migrants are already involved in many ways and they get the
opportunity to get their voice heard at conferences and gatherings (Respondent 6) but when things
are organized many people do not care enough the do something or to even show up (Respondent
7). When it comes to Raw materials, this is also the case and this remains so because nobody takes
responsibility to talk about this topic (Respondent 7). The practice of inviting some Diaspora people
or organizations to the Hague to participate in meetings has also been criticized as being not the

25
right way of involving their participation (Respondent 6). In addition, it was also stated that the Dutch
government prefers mostly to get participants from Africa rather than involving the Diaspora
consultants here. Because the Africans here are different from Africans at home, in terms of thinking
and doing things. So the Dutch policy makers think the Diaspora create trouble for them because
they are very critical (Respondent 8)

Why Diaspora should be involved and how they could contribute?

An interesting thing that was mentioned by one of the respondents is that all Africans in the
Netherlands have been affected in some way by the effects of the use of environment and of
resources (Respondent 7). For many it is the reason why they are here. But the African Diaspora is
involved in another way. The Diaspora get text messages from their relatives in their home countries
with the requests for money, for very essential things, like sending children to school or actually
building the school. These problems should be solved with the natural resources wealth Africa
possesses (Respondent 7). According to Respondent 4, founder of Africa in Motion, there is the fear
in Europe that if the system of extracting minerals in Africa and processing them here would change,
a loss of welfare would take place. According to him it is the responsibility of the Diaspora to show
and find prove this is not the case. By doing this, the Diaspora can assist in the development of Africa
and improve relations between the European Union and Africa so that a better sustainable supply of
resources can be guaranteed, but in the form of semi-processed products.
An important factor why African Diaspora could have a positive impact on the policy making in the
Netherlands is because they have knowledge about their home country (Respondent 2), so the
African Diaspora can give Africa a voice. This is more efficient than going to Africa because the
Diaspora are closer to the places where the decisions are made (Respondents 3,7). According to
some of the respondents, the accounts of the Diaspora only slightly differs from the accounts of
people in Africa (Respondent 3,7). This difference in nuances is however enough reason for the Dutch
government to have a preference for consultants from Africa (Respondent 8). Often the African
Diaspora are (kept) well up to date with the activities that are going on in their country or region. So
they are able to give signals to organisations/governments of what is going on and what should be
dealt with (Respondent 7). This active relation with Africa gives the Diaspora the potential to be the
bridges between their home- and their host- countries (Respondents 3,4,6,7). According to one of
the respondents the Dutch government is already working on policies to invest in Africa through the
Diaspora, to make the investments more sustainable and is reducing its development aid to African
governments (Respondent 9). One of the respondents noted that the Diaspora can make significant
contributions in the European Union efforts to achieve inclusive growth and sustainable
development in resource rich countries because they have three types of capital. These include
financial capital/remittances, human capital (knowledge and skills) and social capital (the networks)
which can be geared towards productive purposes. They are also expected to be less likely to be
corrupt than local or national government officials in Africa.1

1
[1] The indicators are economic importance for the EU GDP and the rise of supply shortage, based on the indicators: 1)Voice and
accountability 2) political stability and the absence of violence 3) government effectiveness 4) regulatory quality 5)rule of law or control of
corruption. (See appendix)

[2] The three pillars that are mentioned in the EU raw materials initiative: Pillar one: Include relevant trade disciplines on sustainable
supply of raw materials in bi/multilateral trade agreements. Pillar two: Identify and tackle illegitimate trade distortive measures taken by
third countries (through consultations, dispute settlements, delimitate exceptions for development purposes). Pillar three: Reach out to
third world countries to show the issue of sustainable raw material supply as an issue relevant for all countries. (See appendix)

26
4.2 Knowledge analysis
In this part the outcome of the interviews will be analysed using the theoretical framework proposed
earlier. Through the framework of social learning theory, and the deconstructing knowledge as
explicit and tacit, the analysis will be based on the experiences, interactions of our respondents with
people who have related information and the various documents they have accessed.

First, the knowledge of the respondents on defining of critical raw materials is discussed. According
to the definition of explicit knowledge given earlier in this report, the communication on the Raw
Material Initiative can be considered as a legislation or regulation. The definition of a critical raw
material is given as: “critical raw materials are those which display a particularly high risk of supply
shortage in the next 10 years and which are particularly important for the value chain” (European
Commission 2011:12). The claim in this definition is based on the notion of a given and explicit
knowledge. During the interviews however, it became clear that for the respondents, a critical raw
material is not just about given facts such as supply shortage and EU GDP, but also about the
problems that are caused by the mining and the problems people in Africa face.

One respondent (Respondent 3) refers to his experiences with the devastating consequences when
he visited a region in Ghana, after years of absence. Gold mines had polluted the rivers with
chemicals and made the waters unsuitable to use for drinking and irrigation purposes. This is why he
believes environmental consequences need to be included in the definition of raw materials. The
knowledge he refers to, is tacit knowledge gained through experiences.

Another respondent (Respondent 8), from Sierra Leone discusses the devastating effects of rubber
plantations on the nature and the environment in his country. Another respondent (Respondent 4),
states that 80% of Sierra Leone is covered with rubber plantations, while the country is not able to
produce enough food for itself. These consequences of rubber production are not included in the
definition, but have a great impact on the lives of many. The respondents want these kinds of
consequences to be taken into account when the criticality of raw materials is determined.

Respondent (Respondent 8) also puts forward the relation between gold and diamond mining in
Sierra Leone and the lingering violence that has taken place there. The possible atrocities caused by
wars in the raw materials rich countries are not one of the criteria that determine if a material is
critical, but according to this respondent, it should be.

Secondly, the knowledge on (trade) policy is examined. The critique of the respondents is that the
European Commission made the trade policy, and thus the EU has the power over what is being
stated in the policy. In terms of knowledge the content of the policy is regarded as explicit
knowledge. The respondents contest the given truth and universal applicability of the policy. They
state that in negotiation tacit knowledge -from the African diaspora as well as from citizens of Africa-
could be included through Africa putting forward an own trade policy. The inclusion of this tacit
knowledge, retrieved from experiences, actions and interaction, could lead to better conditions for
African countries. It would contribute to more faire conditions if the African knowledge would be
included. The ‘unfairness’ between the EU and Africa that the African diaspora refer to, could be

27
countered by the inclusion of the tacit knowledge. For example, taking into account the claim to hold
the same standards for Africa and Europe would contribute to the relation becoming more faire.

For the representativeness of sustainability the same argument goes, it is claimed that it is a
European concept that does not incorporate the African perspective. It would be more agreeable and
faire if the tacit knowledge is taken into account in defining the term. Now, the understanding of
sustainability is not unambiguous. In the EU policy document the concept of sustainability is used in
various contexts and does not have one clear meaning. To give one example, the sentence
“...sustainable mining can and should contribute to sustainable development...” (European
Commission 2011: 14).

Three of the respondents expressed their concern for the lack of attention for the environment
(Respondents 1,5,8) and local people and their livelihood (Respondents 1,5) in the policies and
actions of the European Union. It is not clear if this explicitly follows from the EU documents -that
would be explicit knowledge- or if the respondents witnessed the lack of attention themselves in
Africa, but it can be argued that this knowledge could be regarded as potential tacit knowledge
because the perspective of the members of the African Diaspora could help to increase the attention
for these matters and by doing so this awareness can grow into realistic and implementable policies
that are beneficial to both Europe and Africa. The respondents’ comments on the questionnaire are
based on their knowledge, which has been acquired through a combination of an academic
background and (professional) experiences. This forms the link between academic, explicit
knowledge and experiential, tacit knowledge on the topic of trade policy.

Thirdly, discussing development, one of our respondents (Respondent 8) provided the example of
how the Dutch regarded President Kagame of Rwanda as an ally and poured lots of development aid
to his country when he was in control of the situations in DRC and had something to offer to them.
Things changed when other countries came in and took Kagame out of the DRC. The respondents
also talked about learning from local ways of governance in Africa, which is based on experiences and
community contextual knowledge. In terms of the specific actions needed in infrastructure
investments, the points raised are mainly based on the experiences of our respondents in their home
countries. They gave the examples of roads that only serve to link the mines with the air and
seaports to transport the raw materials to Europe. They also emphasized the lack of schools,
hospitals, water facilities and the extreme poverty of the local people in their home countries. Some
of the respondents gave the example of how local people in their countries of origin use traditional
ways of identifying raw material reserves and extracting them. They also stated that they themselves
have seen these raw materials (diamond, gold and gemstone). This can be regarded as tacit
knowledge because it is based on what the respondents themselves have experienced.

Fourthly, promoting skills and research, development and innovation is discussed.

A respondent mentioned that promotion of research, development and innovation programs or
opportunities starts at the role you can play yourself. He gave an example of how he practices this
thought. This is a clear example of tacit experiential knowledge.

A lot of examples given by the respondents like the importance of the social acceptance of locals as a
way to ensure the security of raw materials supply and the advice to educate and hire African
researchers as raw materials consultants for local governments, are linked to their being part of
organizations like Africa in Motion or networks like the United Community of African students. They

28
share common characteristics like being part of the African Diaspora and share several kinds of
knowledge like experiences, organization-specific knowledge and recognition of the tacit and explicit
knowledge of others.

When it comes to the type of actions the respondents propose to improve the cooperation between
companies, universities and public authorities in order to promote skills in the raw materials sector
like creating platforms to inform all stakeholders to increase transparency, the recommendations are
based on their academic background (explicit knowledge) and at the same time their tacit knowledge
in the form of experiential knowledge or organizational knowledge like networking. When it comes
to the advice to broaden the knowledge basis the universities work on, this is also a mix of tacit and
explicit knowledge.

When asked for the respondents’ awareness of innovative exploration and extraction technologies
and implementation of new technologies and which innovative technologies need to be developed
further, the respondents did not really answer the questions. It is not clear whether they do or do
not have knowledge of this subject.

Discussing the view on resource efficiency and recycling, most of our respondents indicated that they
were not aware of the measures that are currently being taken by the EU to improve the efficient use
of raw materials. The efficient use includes recycling and reuse of secondary raw materials and
material substitution. Almost all of the respondents explained their experiences concerning the
negative consequences of the shipment of used materials to Africa, especially that of used cars and
refrigerators of which some of whom have been affected personally. They noted that the used cars
emit lots of Green House Gasses, which are polluting the environment. Besides, the skills and
technologies to repair them when they malfunction are not available there and they add to the
environmental waste. This has a negative impact on the health and environment. The same is true on
refrigerators.

One respondent specifically stressed the importance of knowledge of recycling brought “home” from
abroad because the industries are not capable or willing to work on this important issue (Respondent
8). This knowledge could be based on the assumption, experience or beliefs (tacit) that the industries
are not capable or willing to work on this issue but it might also be explicit knowledge derived from
documents or newspapers. Bringing in African Diaspora here could increase the tacit (experiences)
and explicit (education) knowledge based on their (professional) experiences (tacit) and education
(explicit) abroad that can be translated into manuals and problem solving (explicit knowledge) and
could also bring tacit knowledge in the sense of changing values and beliefs.

The EU has proposed reducing the illegal shipment of secondary, used raw materials and to recycle
or reuse them here to improve efficiency in raw material use. But, the document also stated that
compliance with this regulation has been low. So, this can be one area where the EU and African
countries could cooperate since it is in the interest of both.

Part 6: General remarks

29
The points mentioned in relation to the safety issue are mainly based on the experiences and
interactions of our respondents with their home countries. They relate the points to the frustrations
and dissatisfactions of local people when faced with harsh and risky working conditions. The
respondents also gave the examples of people who came to Europe for studies and lack the ability to
translate their knowledge to local contexts or do not go back to their home countries when they
argued for establishing universities in Africa. These are mainly based on experiences and hence are
regarded part of tacit knowledge.

Part 7: African Diaspora

In the EU consultation, stakeholders from all kinds of raw material sectors were invited to provide
input, by answering a number of questions regarding raw materials policy issues. All kinds of actors,
NGO’s, governments, private companies, industrial organizations and citizens where invited to
participate in the open consultation round. However, no (African) Diaspora organizations were
consulted. In the interviews conducted for this research, we tried to capture what knowledge could
have been contributed if the African Diaspora would have participated. What can be seen in the
previous sections is that the respondents that were interviewed, who are part of the African
Diaspora, can contribute their explicit knowledge that has been acquired in their studies. All of them
have a university degree and most of them have done or are doing a part of their education in The
Netherlands. However the knowledge possessed by the African Diaspora is not only academic and
explicit. A significant fraction of the knowledge used to answer the questions of the questionnaire
was tacit knowledge that was acquired in various ways. All of our respondents have grown up in
Africa and have spent most of their childhood learning about the ways of their village, region,
country and their cultural and religious traditions, which means they have significant amount of
community contextual knowledge. Furthermore most of the respondents have significant working
experience in Africa regarding various topics.
This combination of tacit and explicit knowledge, but also the fact that the African diaspora are
familiar with both the European, specifically the Dutch context, as well as with a part of the African
context makes them capable of providing valuable insights.

30
5. Conclusion and recommendations

In 2010, the EU consulted various stakeholders on the Raw Materials Initiative it developed in 2008.
But, the consultation rounds did not involve African Diaspora organizations and individuals. With this
research the knowledge that could have been contributed if the African Diaspora would have
participated in such consultation rounds was captured. The findings in the previous sections show
that the respondents, who are part of the Diaspora, can contribute their explicit knowledge that has
been acquired in their studies and researches. All of them have a University degree and most of them
have done or are doing a part of their education in the Netherlands. However the knowledge
possessed by the Diaspora is not only academic and explicit. A significant fraction of the knowledge
used to answer the questions of the questionnaire was tacit knowledge that was acquired in various
ways. All of our respondents grew up in Africa and have spent most of their childhood (social)
learning about the ways of their village, region, country and their cultural and religious traditions
which implies that they have a significant amount of community contextual knowledge. Furthermore
most of the respondents have significant working experience in Africa regarding various topics. This
combination of tacit and explicit knowledge, but also the fact that the Diaspora are familiar with both
the European/ Dutch and African contexts gives them a special role and makes them capable of
providing valuable contextual insights.

This research tried to answer the question what knowledge the African Diaspora could contribute if
they are consulted on the Raw Materials Initiative. To this end, nine African Diaspora with different
educational backgrounds and areas of expertise were interviewed. In so doing, we tried to look in to
the experiences, explicit knowledge and actions and interactions of the respondents in their answers
to the questions in the consultation document. The findings show that most of the respondents
regard the impact on the economy and environment of the raw material source country as criteria to
assess the criticality of raw materials. Most of the respondents remarked that the indicators for
assessing criticality of raw materials in the RMI only take into account the interests of the European
Union. Another finding is that the respondents consider the trade policy in the RMI one sided and
unfair. It was indicated that the need for financial resources by African governments to tackle
poverty and widespread corruption among officials makes it easier for such unfair trade deals to be
accepted by African states. A heavily criticized practice in this regard was the long term trade deal
contracts which have mostly a span of 99 years. The respondents noted that such deals have resulted
in serious environmental problems like water pollution and overexploitation of resources. They also
added that such contracts are not flexible and create problems when regimes change in African
countries. The respondents also questioned the notion of sustainability as defined in the RMI
document, which they linked with European perspective. Sustainability was associated with the
impact on the environment and natural resources by the respondents. A frequently emphasized
point was the need to focus on trade in semi-processed raw materials and establishing processing
companies in Africa. This type of value addition has been associated with employment creation,
better skill transfers, increased incomes and demand for finished products in Africa as opposed to
the trade in extractive industries which is associated with ensuring secure supply of raw materials for
the EU.

The findings also show that the respondents have a different approach to the issues of good
governance, infrastructure and geological knowledge mentioned in the 2010 EU-AU Commissions
agreement. They stressed the need to include local systems of governance in the extractive

31
industries and putting regulations that require companies to disclose their financial positions and
revenue to the public. It was also emphasized that the investments in infrastructures should take into
account the concerns and needs of the local people instead of focusing on establishing
infrastructures that facilitate the extraction of raw materials. It was added that the infrastructures
should be for long term and direct benefit of the local people. The respondents also explained that
there is a need to establish educational programs focusing on specific raw materials in universities in
Africa. They added that there is a need to take into account the local social knowledge of identifying
and extracting raw materials that has been practiced for ages. The findings also show that most of
the respondents are not aware of any initiatives that promote the exploration and exploitation of
mines in Africa.

The findings also show that social acceptance and environmental impact are the major research
areas that are missing in the RMI. Related to this, it was stated that there is a need to pay attention
to the diversity and conflict of interest between different ethnic groups when talking about secure
supply of raw materials. The significance of research into institutional development and collective
action was pointed out in this regard. In addition, investment in processing technologies, recycling
technologies and skill transfers were also emphasized as important areas of research.

Other findings also show that the respondents stressed the importance of working with local
entrepreneurs and companies in Africa. This is linked with better skill transfer and less corruption
according to the respondents. It was stated that the fear of expected welfare loss by the European
Union if processing companies are started in Africa is making the European Union less willing to
support such initiatives. In this regard, the diaspora communities, researchers and the media can
play a role in creating awareness and showing that win-win situations can be still achieved from such
kinds of cooperation. They also stressed the environmental problems created in Africa is a result of
the used cars and refrigerators shipped to Africa. It was also found out that the African Diasporas are
not well organized and constitute diverse groups with different interests, motives and perspectives.
The findings also show that most of the organized African Diaspora in The Netherlands are educated
and have relevant knowledge. But, they mostly focus on research and do not communicate their
work to ordinary people so that practical actions can be taken. It was also indicated that the Diaspora
feels left out of consultations rounds because they are minorities and are more critical than African
at home.

The findings indicate that the involvement of the African Diaspora will add valuable insights that can
be used to improve the RMI document. We recommend that there is a need to include topics on the
local environmental impact, social impact and safety issues in the document. We also recommend
that the European Union should involve the Diaspora if it wants to achieve its objectives of achieving
inclusive growth and sustainable development in Africa as well as securing sustainable supply of raw
materials to it’s industries. In this regard, there is a need to support investment in local processing
companies, infrastructures needed by the local people and working with local entrepreneurs. An
additional factor for involving the Diaspora in such processes is the growing trend of African
governments to include the Diaspora in the development and poverty reduction efforts in their
countries. The African Diaspora could serve as an important bridge between the European Union and
African governments in this regard. The inclusion of the tacit knowledge, retrieved from experiences,
actions and interaction of the Diaspora could lead to better conditions for African countries. This

32
would contribute to fairer EU-Africa relations that will ensure secure and sustainable trade and
investment relations between Africa and the EU.

Finally, we also recommend that the African Diaspora communities should have a united stand in
voicing their interests. They should work towards creating platforms where they can discuss policy
issues that affect them and Africa in spite of the different political views and other differences they
might have. By doing so, they can bring complex policy issues down to the attention and
understanding of ordinary citizens without sufficient academic knowledge. This will enable them to
increase their representation and involvement in policy consultation rounds.

33
6. Discussion

Limitations of the Study

The African Diaspora is a very large and broad community comprising individuals with a very diverse
background, motives, interests and visions. Hence, this again will limit the scope, applicability of our
findings and should be taken in account. Another limitation of our research might be related to lack
of experts on raw materials among our respondents. This will limit our comparative analysis with the
EU document where most of the stakeholders consulted are experts in the field.

While a broad definition of Diaspora from the African Union is used in this paper, the sample used is
not a representative for the whole African Diaspora in the Netherlands. Respondents have been
selected based on their background and their (potential) knowledge regarding Trade, Policy making
and Raw materials. This has been done so that the acquired knowledge has a more comparative
value with Raw Material Initiative that has been based on consultations with Intellectuals from
various sectors.

We already make a pre-distinction between whom we were going to interview, namely ‘ African
intellectuals’. We already made a distinction on who has something to say. Is this a true and fair
representation of the African diaspora? This is questionable. On the other hand, maybe not everyone
could participate because it is a difficult topic and the questions are very specific. To answer the
questions the actors need to have knowledge on the topic. All participants are intellectual (academic)
men and did not include women. One of the respondents (Respondent 8) described the African
Diaspora in The Netherlands as elite.

So, there is a need for further research to focus on looking in to the diversities among the Diaspora
and how they can be better organized. Another possible area to focus on would be creating
awareness on the different channels available to influence EU policies regarding Africa.

We had to look at the activities/practices of the respondents to empirically research what kind of
knowledge they can contribute.

34
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35
Appendix

Questionnaire

Introduction:

Dear respondent,
My name is (..) and (..). Thank you for taking your time for us. We will shortly explain
what project we are working on;
The foundation Africa in Motion (AIM) has commissioned us, a team of M.Sc students
from Wageningen University, for its project entitled “Storytelling on the involvement of
Dutch citizens with African roots in policy-making concerning Africa.” This
questionnaire is prepared with a view to get your ideas on the current EU Raw Materials
Initiative (RMI). The RMI is a policy document aimed at securing supplies of raw
materials for growth and jobs in the EU. For the purpose of this interview, “raw
materials” include all industrial raw materials including minerals, ores, aggregates,
wood, hide & skins and other industrial raw materials with the exception of energy and
food related raw materials. The purpose of this interview is to get an understanding of
the inputs the African Diaspora can bring in the EU/Dutch policy making if consulted.
We assure you that your responses will remain confidential and only be used for the
purpose of the project.
We are grateful for your cooperation in advance!

36
Part I Criticality of raw materials
Explanation to respondent:
In the analysis of the EU raw materials initiative, an expert group of the European
Commission identified a number of critical raw materials. The identification of these
materials started with a list of 41 non-energy, and non-agricultural materials.
Eventually, 14 (Appendix 1) critical materials were selected, based on two criteria:
 The risk of supply shortage, based on the indicators:
o voice and accountability,
o political stability and absence of violence,
o government effectiveness,
o regulatory quality,
o rule of law or control of corruption.)
 Economic importance for the EU GDP.

1. How would you define a critical raw material and what criteria would you use?
Clarification: For e.g., finite resource, price, labour conditions/extraction,
Possible follow up questions:
 According to your definition, which other additional raw material do you think
is/ are critical?
 What do you think of these criteria? (applied by EU)

2. Do you know about other methods of assessing the criticality of raw materials
in other countries or regions of the world?
Clarification: Besides having certain criteria (/besides African countries)

Explanations to respondent: The functioning of raw materials markets has not been
dealt with. Transparency is often mentioned when it comes to minerals and markets.
3. What do you think should be done to increase the transparency of the
functioning of the markets for raw materials?
Possible follow up questions:
 What consider transparency of markets?
 How would you deal with the transparency of the raw materials market?

37
Part 2 Trade Policy
Explanation to respondent: The E.U initiative has three pillars regarding the trade of
raw materials:
 Pillar one: Include relevant trade disciplines on sustainable supply of raw
materials in bi/multilateral trade agreements.
Clarification: Comply the rules regarding sustainable supply of raw materials from trade
agreements between many nations at one time.
 Trade disciplines are relevant to improve the functioning of the
global raw materials market. They include rules applicable to
export restrictions, dual pricing, competition, taxation and
investment provisions.
 Multilateral trade agreements are trade agreements between
many nations at one time. The primary benefit of multilateral
agreements is that all nations get treated equally, and so it levels
the playing field, especially for poorer nations that are less
competitive by nature.
 Pillar two: Identify and tackle illegitimate trade distortive measures taken by
third countries (through consultations, dispute settlements, delimitate
exceptions for development purposes).
 Pillar three: Reach out to third world countries to show the issue of sustainable
raw material supply as an issue relevant for all countries.

4. What is your opinion about these three pillars of the raw materials trade
strategy?
Can be discussed one by one or choose one that respondent likes to elaborate
on
Possible follow up question:
 What would you consider as sustainable supply of raw materials? (pillar 1 and 3)
 Are you aware of illegitimate trade distortive measures? (Pillar 2) & Which ones?

5. In your view, are there additional pillars not mentioned which should be
pursued by the EU?
Clarification: other pillars besides or instead of the three existing pillars?

6a. What are the major export raw materials that you know of between your
country of origin and EU countries?
6b. What do you think about the trade policy between Europe and your country of
origin regarding raw materials?
Follow up Questions:
 How are you related to this topic? (Policy maker, researcher, journalist)

38
PART 3: DEVELOPMENT
Explanation to respondent: The 2008 Raw Material Initiative Communication
highlighted that development policies play a relevant role in at three 'levels':
 'Strengthening States'
 Promote a sound investment climate that helps increase sustainable supplies of
raw materials
 Promote sustainable management of raw materials
In 2010, the European Commission and the African Union Commission agreed to
develop a bilateral co-operation in the field of raw materials. The work takes into
account the Africa Mining Vision of February 2009 and the EU Raw Materials Initiative
of December 2008 , in particular on issues such as governance, infrastructure and
investment and geological knowledge and skills.

When this pops up, ask about:

 What is development for you?

7. What specific actions you consider most relevant needed in the following areas:
 good governance,
 infrastructure/investments
 Geological knowledge/skills?

With regards to the second and third level: "Promote a sound investment climate
that helps increase sustainable supplies of raw materials" & Promote sustainable
management of raw materials:
8a. Are you aware of any initiatives that contribute to promoting exploration and
exploitation of mines in developing countries in Africa?
Possible follow-up question: (how) should such initiatives be better coordinated or
promoted at the EU level?
8b. What measures should the EU take to foster revenue transparency in the
mining industry in raw materials resource rich countries?
Possible follow-up questions: What are your views regarding existing initiatives?

10. What concrete objectives, targets and deliverables should be included in the
recent agreement between the European Commission and the African Union
Commission?
For steering: Something about sustainability?

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PART IV: Policy area of PROMOTING SKILLS AND RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT
AND INNOVATION

Explanation to respondent:
The issue of promoting skills is in the raw materials sector a matter of concern. The E.U.
is currently supporting this challenge via programmes (such as ERASMUS MUNDUS and
with the specific Minerals and Environment Programme (EMMEP)).

Explanation for question 11:

Another issue in this policy area is the need for research on innovative exploration and
extraction technologies, recycling, materials substitution and resource efficiency. There
have been institutes recognized by the EU commission that do research and
development on collaborative development projects between the industry and research
organizations.
11. Where do you see the major gap/ need for the raw materials sector related
research, development and innovation programmes/opportunities at EU
level? Please provide details.
Possible follow-up question: Are there any other aspects related to skills, R&D and
innovation for other raw materials such as wood, that need to be further promoted?
Please, specify.
Clarification: So other than innovative exploration and extraction technologies,
recycling, materials substitution and resource efficiency

If there is time:
12. What is your idea of a major research and innovation program that could have
a positive impact on the security of raw materials supply for the EU
industries? Please specify.
-Ask about security if word is used.

13. Are you aware of innovative exploration and extraction technologies, where
project partners on a European level are needed to develop and implement
the new technologies and which are the innovative technologies which need to
be developed further? Please provide details.

14. What type of actions would you propose to provide better cooperation
between companies, universities and public authorities in order to promote
skills in the extractive or other raw materials sectors?

-If suitable, ask about

15. What other fields (next to skills, research, innovation) should be promoted by
the EU?

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Part V Resource efficiency and recycling
The 2008 RMI identified that the increased use of secondary raw materials (re-use and
recycling of goods and materials) contributes to security of supply and energy efficiency.
However, today many end-of-life products do not enter into sound recycling channel.
This results in an irremediable loss of valuable (secondary) raw materials. This mainly
concerns exports of end-of-life vehicles and electronic equipment, which leave Europe
as reusable products but end up being dismantled abroad.

Efficiency of use of raw materials

16. Are you aware of the measures currently being taken by the EU and member
states to improve efficiency in raw materials use? If so, what is your view on
them?

17. In your view, how can efficiency in raw materials use be improved?

Measures on export waste

18. In your view, what practical measures can be taken by the EU and by member
States to prevent the illegal shipment of obsolete end-of-life vehicles and
electronic equipment?

19. What do you think should be done to increase compliance with the regulation
on the exports of waste to African countries?

If time left:
20. In what ways should statistics on trade in and recycling of, products containing
secondary raw materials be improved?

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Part VI GENERAL REMARKS AND COMMENTS

21. Which additional policy topics do you think should be included in the RMI? (f.e.
safety policy)

22. Do you have any overall comments regarding the recommendations of the
report?

23. Have you ever participated in any Dutch/E.U. policy consultation before?

Put this question firstly, if there is enough time left!!!!!! (if not just continue on
question 21)
24. Do you think there should be a standard for the quality of raw materials ?

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