Rights of Indigenous People in Relation to Natural Resources Development: an African's Perspective

Abstract

This article discusses the concept of indigenous people and its relevance to the analysis of the legal rights of the generality of Africans in relation to natural resources development projects. It concludes that most Africans do not fit into the category of indigenous people as understood in the ILO Convention No 169 and the Draft UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Consequently, it suggests analysis of the relevant rights from the alternative perspective of ‘local people’.