African economic growth: Is mining as bad as asset-stripping?

We received the following response from Professor Paul Stevens of Chatham House, a think-tank, about a recent article in The Economist

On January 10th 2015, The Economist published an article entitled "African economic growth: The twilight of the resource curse?" The article argued that the economic outlook for many African countries looks promising despite falling commodity prices. This, it was claimed, reflected growing economic diversification by these countries away from dependence on commodities, and lessons learned about the power of good governance. It was argued that, "with better education systems, investment in infrastructure and sensible regulatory reforms, the continent could completely break the spell that has held it back so often in the past". The article concluded that countries with natural resources should encourage their development and not be concerned about the threat of "resource curse".This view reflects a growing consensus away from the idea that resources are a curse for poor countries towards the view that economic growth led by extractive industries (mining and the like) is a viable path to broader development. Such views are forthcoming from governments, companies in the sector and international institutions, all seeking to tell a positive story about what resources could do for the economy as a whole. However, a new report from Chatham House …
Source: The Economy