Africans are blessed with a lot of minerals that if this resources are gainfully used for benefit of their citizens, this God given resources would add colours to Africans. Countries in Africans like Nigeria, Serial Leone, Ghana, kenya, south Africa and lots more you will a lot of natural resources either misused or abandon by government and even if they see need to use them, is either abused or mismanaged. Petrol in Nigeria till today is been refined outside country and still import back to Nigeria on a high price, lots of minerals like coals, salt, kerosene, gas, petroleum and so on but no appropriate handling of this resources, so even the citizens can not benefit from it. If Africa can make use of their resources well, they will be more independent, free from indebtedness and indirect colonial system of other countries.
They should be free like you said a lot of minerals meaning your country could be independent. But the truth is the rich mineral countries will always in the end of the list just like my countries Indonesia also had lot of mineral including oil and gas also the biggest nickel in the world. But the raw material always goes outside and when it becomes a finished good it goes to indonesia back.