Abstract

The African continent is going through a profound period of change. For much of its recent history, its natural resources have been exploited with little consideration accorded to local communities and their environment. This situation has become intensively criticized as preventing the continent's development and its population from benefiting fully from their natural resources. The concept of a 'social license to operate' (SLO), however, has emerged, notably in the extractive sector, to bridge the dire insufficiencies of the current African extractive governance regime. Thus ...