The African Legal Support Facility’s Post

The critical minerals industry in Africa is at at a critical junction. Will African countries reap the benefits? Or will it be the same old story of foreign companies capitalising of African critical resources. There is a delicate balancing act that must be achieved to ensure a win-win scenario for all stakeholders.

Dr. Marit Y. Kitaw in a panel discussion “Empowering African mining through disruption: the role of development finance and support organizations.” The panel discussed how to navigate challenges and seize opportunities in the ever-changing mining industry.  #keytakeaways 1. Skills revolution  2. Be bold  3. Empower decision makers and communities collectively 4. Disrupt status quo all of us as we go out there  5. Let’s learn what’s out there beyond African borders 6. Don’t just sign any form of agreement you are given in the first instance, explore the benefits 7. Let’s all speak out in one voice  8. Let’s implement policies under the Africa Mining vision  9. Equitable distribution of mineral resources  10. Let’s put Africa first  #Ends APRI - Africa Policy Research Institute,African Development Bank Group,The African Legal Support Facility

#MiningIndaba24: Dr. Marit Y. Kitaw in a panel discussion “Empowering African mining through disruption: the role of development finance and support organizations.” The panel discussed how to navigate challenges and seize opportunities in the ever-changing mining industry.  #keytakeaways 1. Skills revolution  2. Be bold  3. Empower decision makers and communities collectively 4. Disrupt status quo all of us as we go out there  5. Let’s learn what’s out there beyond African borders 6. Don’t just sign any form of agreement you are given in the first instance, explore the benefits 7. Let’s all speak out in one voice  8. Let’s implement policies under the Africa Mining vision  9. Equitable distribution of mineral resources  10. Let’s put Africa first  #Ends APRI - Africa Policy Research Institute,African Development Bank Group,The African Legal Support Facility

Yesterday our Executive Director, Dr. Olumide Abimbola joined other experts Dr Marit Y. Kitaw, Olivier S. Pognon, and Dr. Vanessa Ushie on a panel to discuss “Empowering African Mining through Disruption: The Role of Development Finance and Support Organizations” on the main Disruptors stage. The session focused on how African countries can industrialize based on their mineral resources and how to localize value chains. The discussion was moderated by Kwasi Ampofo – Bloomberg NEF. Dr Olumide Abimbola's key highlight was the need to understand the policies and initiatives that current players such as the US, China, and the EU are taking on critical raw materials and to examine what the implications could be for African countries. Check out APRI's publications on the EU Green Deal on Africa: https://lnkd.in/eaAuZ2Nm https://lnkd.in/e6NeJw2m For more on this session and our presence at the Mining Indaba 2024, check https://lnkd.in/e_ZVcXyx African Development Bank Group African Minerals Development Centre (AMDC) The African Legal Support Facility #MI24 #MiningIndaba #Industrialization #valueaddition

🪨🇺🇲🤝🌍🕊️ United States Institute of Peace distinguished fellow Thomas Sheehy on the high level U.S. engagement and private sector participation at #MiningIndaba2024 (edited for brevity): "That's a realization of the importance of African mining. It's been building for a couple years but has really been supercharged by the Biden administration's energy agenda...The U.S. should be engaged in Africa, this is a critical sector important to our economy and to our national security...There's real momentum for U.S. engagement in the African mining sector." "U.S. companies want to engage at a higher level on #ESG and they're seeing that that's now possible with government support." "While there are different points of emphasis by the two political parties (on climate and the defense industrial base) there is a consensus that the U.S. needs to be engaged with Africa particularly in the mining sector." "From my perspective as someone who's interested in peace building, we want to engage in a way that works with Africans, builds development, and avoids negative situations where resources are developed and often fuel conflict. That's going to take a strong partnership between the U.S. government, the private sector, African governments, and lastly the African civil society because they have so much to offer in terms of engaging with the industry -- pushing for the transparency and rule of law issues that we really need if we're going to have a strong climate for the massive investment we really zneed in infrastructure and mining. #CriticalMinerals Watch in full: ▶️ https://lnkd.in/eMcKjwmn

[New Read] 📑 In this policy insight, Adrian Joseph explores why addressing the governance risks associated with mineral supply chains is essential to developing responsible supply chains that will allow African countries to develop their economies. 💡 There is currently a lack of transparency and accountability in critical mineral supply chains, which not only undermines the mining sector’s ability to contribute to sustainable development on the African continent, but also poses a serious threat to the success of the global energy transition. Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/dRet4uXB #ClimateChange #JustEnergyTransition #Extractives #MininginAfrica

Global Engagement: The US Steps Up! The United States is intensifying its engagement with Africa, particularly in the mining and infrastructure sectors. With high-level representatives attending events like the Investing in African Mining Indaba, the US is demonstrating its commitment to forging strategic partnerships on the continent. Investments in projects like the Lobito Corridor underscore Washington's seriousness in engaging African stakeholders and supporting sustainable development. This renewed focus presents unprecedented opportunities for collaboration and growth, benefitting both African nations and US investors alike. Let's harness this momentum to drive positive change and foster mutually beneficial relationships. Credit goes to Creamer Media’s Mining Weekly for providing the information. Read the full article below  https://lnkd.in/dq_qhSny #USInvestment #AfricanPartnerships #MiningPotential #SustainableDevelopment

📣 New IDS Working Paper! China’s Engagement with DRC’s Critical Minerals Sector: Extractivism, Developmentalism, and the Quest for a Just Transition Read at: 👉 https://lnkd.in/ehGEKdjv This Working Paper explores the multifaceted Chinese engagement in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) copper and cobalt mining sector. We identified two distinctive approaches for such engagement: one led by central state-owned enterprises (CSOEs) and state-backed policy financial institutions (S-PFIs), and the other by a mix of public and private Chinese companies.

“How to make sure Africa remains competitive in the current rush for critical minerals in the heightened geopolitical environment?” Excellent panel on the geopolitics of #criticalminerals now at Investing in African Mining Indaba on “Not letting a good crisis go to waste”.. Richard Morgan the Head of International Political Risk and Governance at Anglo American says that the “crisis will come from the squeeze”.. Long lead times in mining unavoidable! Kojo Busia, Executive Director of Green African Minerals FZCO, takes a retrospective view that the rise of value-addition has been one of the greatest developments in mineral supply chains. No reason not to have a “critical mass of African exploration companies”. African-owned, African-led mining companies.. 👍🏻👍🏻 “There is a conflict of interest for value-addition.. we are back to the days of industrial policy..” Martin Lokanc from The World Bank emphasising the need for collaboration and coordination, but the challenge being that it takes time to form regional partnerships.. “The problem of mining is not profitability but reputation”, says Joaquim Nunes de Almeida from European Commission Another fascinating panel from Investing in African Mining Indaba 🇿🇦👈🏻 #geopolitics #geopoliticalrisk #mining #mi24

🔔 Excited to be moderating an Investing in African Mining Indaba panel on the geopolitics of minerals! We'll be discussing some important questions such as ❇ how international perception and access to Africa has changed in light of mineral access and supply concerns; ❇ what strategic policy initiatives can producers implement to get ahead of the mining paradigm shift in Africa; ❇ how multi-lateral partnerships can be developed to underpin sustainable value for responsible mining companies. I can't wait to engage in this conversation with industry leaders and experts Martin Lokanc The World Bank Joaquim Nunes de Almeida European Commission Richard Morgan Anglo American Kojo Busia Green Africa Minerals. #InvestingInAfrica #MiningIndaba #GeopoliticsOfMinerals #SustainableMining #ResponsibleMining #MI24