Keynote speaker Yanis Varoufakis, renowned radical economist and former Greek Finance Minister, will speak on Africa in the Face of the new Cold War and the Westâs new colonial escapades The annual Ben Turok Memorial Lecture marks the anniversary of the death of IFAAâs founder and former director, the struggle … Read More
IFAA Public Forum: South Africa’s Urban Farming Revolution
Urban farming is not a new phenomenon but it has proliferated rapidly in recent years. This has been driven by advances in technology and global challenges that include food insecurity, energy shortage, urban migration, poverty, unemployment and environmental degradation. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization urban farming is … Read More
Kudos to our Senior Researcher Hibist Kassa
IFAA would like to congratulate our senior researcher, Dr Hibist Kassa, on the publication of her chapter âThe Crisis of Social Reproduction in Petty Commodity Production and Large-scale Mining: A Southern Perspective on Gender Inequalityâ in the new collection Inequality Studies from the Global South, Routledge (2020). For more information … Read More
CSIR: South African Players in R & D-An Interview with Sibusiso Sibisi
Sibusiso Sibisi is chief executive officer of the CSIR, South Africaâs Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. They donât make many headlines, but CSIR research and development is opening the way for new made-in- SA technology and enterprises. Ben Turok: Is it true that CSIR was founded mainly to meet … Read More
The Scope for Domestic Value Addition in a Mining Economy: The South African Case
ABSTRACT In this paper Professor Ben Turok (director) examines the constraints on beneficiation in South Africa. He calls for a negotiated compromise on domestic prices, perhaps for a fixed period, with suitable provisions for improved infrastructure services, and step-by-step measures to enhance local value addition and beneficiation by local manufacturers and … Read More
Conference: Interface between Mining and Manufacturing
An expertsâ consultation on the Interface between Mining and Manufacturing was held at the IDC on 22 August 2013. IFAA co-hosted the forum along with the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). The forum also benefitted from the support of the Department of … Read More
BD Letter to Editor: Cape Town Mining Lekgotla
Prof. Turok writes to Business Day regarding the Cape Town Mining Lekgotla. Sir, The report on the legislative proposals discussed at the Cape Town Mining Lekgotla (11.2.2015) raises many concerns. The mining industry has consistently stuck to its determination to sell minerals in the South African market at import parity prices … Read More
Mineral Value Chain: Agenda for Action
IFAA writes an agenda for action inviting all interested parties, mining and manufacturing companies, government, international agencies, research organisations, universities and experts to cooperate with us in advancing knowledge about mineral value chains and how they might benefit the people of Africa. 22nd January 2015 The Institute For African Alternatives (IFAA) … Read More