Why have some countries developed a sustainable environment (economic, business and societal) while others have not? It is particularly noteworthy that in the case of the African nations, that have significant resources needed by the industrialized countries, yet these countries are among the poorest nations. This question is studied in the field of sustainability, yet, for all the research on this topic, there is little progress in decreasing the gap between the world's rich countries and the poorer countries. An analysis of sustainability using a multi-construct approach was conducted focusing on six mineral rich African nations. The results show a significant link between societal factors and business factors as contributors to sustainability. The results of this analysis suggest that in order to achieve sustainability, countries need to have a number of factors positively contributing, not just one or two. Significant factors contributing to sustainability in this study included language, political stability, voice and accountability, ease of starting a business and the ability to work with employees.