There is enough gold, diamonds, copper and cobalt – among other minerals – to ensure the Democratic Republic of Congo’s emergence from among the world’s poorest and most broken societies. The same can be said of Guinea, in West Africa, which has the world’s largest bauxite reserves. Yet both countries fall woefully short when it comes to exploiting these assets for public gain.

How far in Congo’s case was revealed by a recent parliamentary inquiry into mismanagement of the sector. Declared revenues from taxes and tariffs on minerals came to just $92m last year. Gold smuggling in particular is costing the state hundreds of millions of dollars a year, the report alleged.