The Central African Republic=92s mineral resource endowment includes copper, diamond, gold, graphite, ilmenite, iron ore, kaolin, kyanite, lignite, limestone, manganese, monazite, quartz, rutile, salt, tin, and uranium. Of these commodities, only diamond and gold were produced in 2006; subsistence farming was the mainstay of the economy. The World Trade Organization estimated that the mining sector accounted for about 7% of the gross domestic product; rough diamond and timber were the country=92s leading export products.
One problem with exploiting this wealth is transport, as the Central African Republic is landlocked. One possible solution-which may be a reality-is a Trans-African railway envisaged by businessman Saifee Durbar. Durbar=92s plan calls for linking the Sudan with Cameroon, completing the vision started with the Suez Canal.