At the American University in Cairo’s 15th Annual Conference of the African Normative Economics Association, which concluded last Friday, one of the most notable speakers was Professor Paul Collier. A distinguished economist and director of the Centre for the Study of African Economies at the University of Oxford, Collier is a widely recognised figure in his field, having received numerous international awards for his work, as well as a knighthood from the British royal family.
Collier is deeply concerned with the reckless depletion of the world’s natural resources, particularly in Africa, where the continent’s wealth is exploited by powerful nations, leaving local populations deprived—not just in the present, but for future generations as well. After all, these resources are not renewable.
In his book The Plundered Planet, Collier seeks to draw global attention to the grave injustice of this ongoing theft, which, at its core, is a crime against African peoples. More than any other audience, his message appears to be directed at Africans themselves. In the book, he condenses his argument into three stark equations, encapsulating the corrupt mechanisms behind resource mismanagement:
Natural wealth – Technology + Chaos = Famine
Natural wealth + Technology – Governance = Looting
Natural wealth + Technology + Good governance = Prosperity
Speaking at the conference, Collier placed blame squarely on the ‘developed world’—without naming specific nations, except for China, which he singled out as a primary offender—for pillaging Africa’s resources and trampling on the rights of its people. He argued that if Africa could learn to manage its wealth effectively, it could finally break free from its status as one of the poorest and least developed regions on earth.
However, Collier did not absolve Africans themselves of complicity in this grand-scale robbery. He accused them of passivity, arguing that their silence and inaction have allowed major powers to continue plundering their lands. He urged African societies to take decisive steps towards governance reform, technological progress, and a stronger commitment to safeguarding the rights of future generations.
I was struck by the passion of this white British professor as he championed the cause of Africa’s people. His sincerity in defending their rights and resources was undeniable. Yet, his speech notably omitted the global political dynamics that fuel such exploitation. He was diplomatic in his criticism, carefully avoiding direct accusations—except against China, with which he clearly had a particular grievance (perhaps justifiably so).
This omission led me to question him about the missing political dimension in his argument. Why had he not addressed the role of major powers and international institutions—such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund—in creating the conditions that enable such large-scale looting? These institutions, after all, have long facilitated the enrichment of corrupt and authoritarian African leaders, keeping them in power in exchange for their compliance in siphoning off the continent’s wealth.
The audience seemed eager to hear Collier’s response, yet he did not share their enthusiasm for this line of questioning. Later, I discovered that he had once worked at the World Bank—one of the very institutions that, albeit indirectly, has played a significant role in deepening global inequality.
Collier refused to assign blame, insisting instead that Africans must take responsibility for protecting their own resources. He advocated for stronger civil society engagement in wealth management, warning against the ‘long arms’ of major powers and the corruption of local governments.
But he failed to explain how this could be achieved in a region plagued by extreme poverty, oppressive rulers, and the relentless manipulation of global markets by powerful states. How could African nations fend off such exploitation when they are pressured—often forced—to adopt so-called ‘free market’ policies, even when no real markets exist? This economic chaos only serves to attract more opportunists, accelerating the plunder under the guise of legality.
Professor Paul Collier was unwilling to confront these uncomfortable realities, despite his evident concern for Africa’s plight. He belongs to that respectable, well-intentioned group of Western intellectuals who acknowledge the exploitation of the Global South but stop short of holding the exploiters accountable. He admits it is theft, but he refuses to look the thief in the eye. Instead, he blames the victim for failing to lock the door.
This article is originally published by AlBorsa in Arabic and later AI-translated by South Push.