---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are a very big mining country and…"
description: "\"We are a very big mining country and historically have been exporters of raw minerals. There is no particular reason why we should not be processing th..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e05/thabo-mbeki-2259_bigs_we-are-a-very-big-mining-country-and-his_1033533.png"
---

#  We are a very big mining country and historically have…

![“We are a very big mining country and historically have been exporters of raw minerals. There is no particular reason why we should not be processing those further.” quote by Thabo Mbeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e05/thabo-mbeki-2259_bigs_we-are-a-very-big-mining-country-and-his_1033533.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e05/thabo-mbeki-2259_bigs_we-are-a-very-big-mining-country-and-his_1033533.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e05/thabo-mbeki-2259_bigs_we-are-a-very-big-mining-country-and-his_1033533.png)

> “We are a very big mining country and historically have been exporters of raw minerals. There is no particular reason why we should not be processing those further.”

[Thabo Mbeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thabo-mbeki/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The nation’s rich mineral resources have made it a major exporter, yet there’s no reason not to add value by processing them domestically.

**In simple terms:** We should process minerals locally, not just export raw.

Key Takeaway

Develop domestic processing to capture more value.

Themes

economics resource management industrialization development

Mood

strategic pragmatic

Type

economic developmental

When to use this quote

- national planning
- economic diversification
- resource exploitation

Key Concepts

value addition resource sovereignty industrial policy

Questions to Reflect On

- What barriers exist to local processing?
- How can governments encourage downstream industries?

A Different Perspective

Domestic processing requires investment and infrastructure.

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[Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Minerals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minerals/) [Mining](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mining/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/)

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