#OilHoldsLosses Africa is often described as a continent rich in natural resources, but the deeper story is about who controls those resources, who profits from them, and how much value remains in African economies after extraction. The continent holds enormous deposits of gold, diamonds, cobalt, copper, uranium, oil, natural gas, platinum, iron ore and other minerals, alongside major agricultural resources such as cocoa, coffee, tea and cotton. These resources have made Africa central to global trade for centuries. Long before modern multinational corporations arrived, African gold, salt, ivory and other commodities were moving through extensive regional and international trade networks. During European colonial rule, however, the extraction of African resources became closely tied to systems designed to benefit colonial powers, with raw materials frequently exported while industrial development and manufacturing remained limited within the colonies.