The African Development Bank (AfDB) Group, in partnership with African governments and the African Union Commission, will host a high-level ministerial forum in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, aimed at positioning Africa’s vast critical mineral resources as a catalyst for industrialisation and sustainable economic growth.
The event, themed “Ministerial Forum on Critical Minerals Value Chain, and Beneficiation: Pathways for African Transformation,” is scheduled for July 10, 2026, in Abidjan.
The gathering will bring together ministers responsible for mining, energy, industry, natural resources and the green economy from across the continent, alongside representatives of regional development banks, the African Union Commission, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), financial institutions, technical partners and institutional investors.
Organisers said the forum comes at a critical time as global demand for minerals essential to clean energy technologies, electric vehicles and advanced manufacturing continues to surge.
According to the AfDB, Africa holds about 30 percent of the world’s reserves of critical minerals, including cobalt, lithium, graphite, rare earth elements, platinum group metals, copper, manganese and nickel.
The continent’s mineral wealth is estimated at approximately US$29.5 trillion in mine-site value, representing around 20 percent of global mineral resources.
The bank noted that roughly US$8.6 trillion worth of these resources remain undeveloped, presenting significant opportunities for investment, industrial growth and value creation across Africa.
Global demand forecasts indicate that by 2040, demand for platinum group metals could rise by more than 1,000 percent, while lithium demand is projected to increase by 842 percent and copper demand by 88 percent compared with 2023 levels.
The electric vehicle and battery value chain alone is expected to expand from US$7 trillion in 2030 to US$59 trillion by 2050.
Against this backdrop, the forum is expected to provide a platform for African leaders to develop coordinated strategies on mineral beneficiation and local value addition, ensuring that the continent captures a larger share of benefits from its natural resources.
Participants will explore ways to transform the critical minerals sector into a major driver of economic diversification, supporting priorities such as industrialisation, energy security, infrastructure development, digital transformation, job creation and regional economic resilience.
Discussions will also focus on strengthening links between mineral extraction, processing and manufacturing in line with Agenda 2063, the African Green Minerals Vision, and the AfDB Group’s development strategies.
A key feature of the forum will be advancing the implementation of the New African Financial Architecture for Development (NAFAD), adopted through the Abidjan Consensus in April 2026.
The initiative seeks to mobilise blended finance, guarantees and institutional capital to bridge Africa’s investment gap in the critical minerals sector.
The organisers believe the meeting will mark an important step towards building African-led partnerships capable of unlocking large-scale investments and accelerating the continent’s transition from raw mineral exports to higher-value industrial production.
Source: businesspostonline
