Africa holds vast quantities of critical minerals that are essential for the global transition to clean energy. However, stakeholders at the African Mining Indaba 2026 emphasised that the continent must shift focus from rhetoric about mineral potential to concrete development actions if it is to fully benefit economically and industrially.
Industry leaders, including Anglo American CEO Duncan Wanblad, warned that Africa’s “incredible potential” will remain unrealised without improvements in implementation — particularly in infrastructure, value-chain development, and cross-border economic corridors such as the Lobito Corridor linking Angola, the DRC and Zambia.
Barriers such as bureaucratic licensing delays, inadequate transport and power infrastructure, underdeveloped value chains, and fragmented regional policies continue to impede investment and development. South Africa’s Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe stressed that improving digital cadastre systems and data quality is crucial to accelerating exploration and formal approvals, which currently lag significantly behind global peers.
New opportunities are emerging, including targeted SME financing, international technical assistance agreements, and partnerships with global development financiers. For example, the European Investment Bank has signed cooperation deals to support feasibility-stage critical minerals projects in Namibia and Tanzania.
Despite these positive steps, the consensus among policymakers and industry experts is clear: Africa must prioritise implementation over rhetoric, invest in credible governance and strategic planning, and build value-chain ecosystems that convert mineral wealth into sustained industrial growth.
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