L. Fituni, I. Abramova Resource Potential of Africa and Russia's ...

vately owned. The leading enterprises in the nonferrous metals sector
included RUSAL for aluminum and MMC Norilsk Nickel for
cobalt, copper, gold and other byproduct metals, nickel, and PGM.
In the ferrous metals sectors, the major metallurgical enterprises
were “EvrazHolding Group Ltd”., Holding Company “Metalloinvest”,
“Mechel” Steel Group, OJSC (Open Joint Stock Company)
“Novolipetsk Steel” Co., OJSC ‘Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel
Works”, and “Severstal” enterprises.
For assessing the developmental efficiency of resource base use
in Africa and Russian we have to appraise the levels of their respective
self-reliance and self-sufficiency in various kinds and categories
of natural resources. For such purposes the existing natural resource
base (NRB) is usually divided into three groups: relatively satisfactory,
problematic, and critical. The basic differentiation criterion
would be the degree the particular kind of natural resources ensure
the expansion and development of the resource base as whole, on
the one hand, and the achievement of domestic developmental goals,
on the other.
For both Russia and Africa the relatively satisfactory component
of the NRB comprises natural resources that are of great importance
for the national economy: oil and gas, coal, uranium, iron ore, copper,
precious metals, diamonds, potash salts, apatite, etc. Their reserves
are large enough to meet both current and future domestic
and export needs (Table 2.2.1).
Table 2.2.1. Level of capacity utilization in the Russian mining sector
(percent)
1980 1990 1995 2000 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Coal 94 93 72 84 82 85 84 85 84 82 81
Coal processing at
enrichment enterprises 93 94 72 71 68 73 81 77 71 75 71
Commercial iron ores 93 98 84 92 90 93 94 97 93 94 90
Non-mineral
construction materials 85 91 52 56 57 61 63 67 61 71 66
89