Improving access to Africa’s geological information through the “Billion Dollar Map” project

Abstract

The difficulties faced by exploration and mining companies in obtaining relevant geological information for Africa are potentially holding back economic development in parts of the Continent. In many cases, important geological information is only available in analogue form in national geological surveys or a European archive, which generally requires inconvenient and expensive personal visits. This is likely to be a disincentive to invest. Many of the aid and development programmes aimed at improving the situation, in recent decades, have provided short-term improvements that are often eroded after the project finishes because of a lack of funds for long-term sustainability. Recent studies have shown that the mining industry is dissatisfied with the data supply facilities of many African geological surveys and European archives. In recognition of these issues, the World Bank is coordinating an ambitious initiative to improve the availability and quality of African geological information that is intended to have significant benefits for economic growth.