This article analyzes the half-a-century history of manganese mining in Serra do Navio, Amapá, Brazil, in the second half of the twentieth century, by Indústria e Comércio de Minérios S.A. (ICOMI). It points out the fact that internalization of added value to the mining process was limited. The text also indicates that existing literature on the repercussions of this activity on regional development is insufficient. The article concludes by highlighting that an open research agenda exists regarding analysis of institutional arrangements that block or limit development of the region based on adding value to manganese mining from taking root socially.
