| | The giant acquisition of BP minerals by RTZ and the hostile bid from Minorco for Consolidated Gold Fields in 1979 reflect the strength of the forces currently reshaping the international minerals industry. The present restructuring is the logical outcome of the prolonged and deep crisis which the world mineral and metals industries experienced during the early and mid- 1980s. This crisis has not only been a cyclical trough but represents a structural crisis caused by important changes in the demand and supply pattern for many metals and minerals. African mineral producers have also experienced a steep decline in production and the consequences for several African economies, which are heavily dependant on the incomes from mineral exports, are particularly serious. |
