Africa holds 30% of the world’s critical mineral reserves, positioning the continent at the center of the global energy transition and industrial supply chain realignment. With global mineral demand set to increase four-fold by 2050, this position becomes increasingly strategic – and it is within this context that African Mining Week (AMW) 2026 emerges as a critical platform to convert geological potential into investable projects, partnerships and value-chain development across the continent.
Taking place October 14-16 in Cape Town, AMW 2026 returns with a sharpened focus on partnerships and transactions that advance Africa’s mineral value chain. This year’s event takes place under the theme Mining the Future: Unearthing Africa’s Full Mineral Value, reflecting a growing emphasis on project bankability, downstream beneficiation and cross-border collaboration as Africa seeks to strengthen its position in increasingly competitive global minerals markets.
Rising Mineral Output, Strengthened Global Trade Flows
Africa hosts some of the world’s largest reserves of cobalt, platinum group metals, chrome, coltan and manganese, placing the continent at the forefront of global minerals essential to electrification, clean energy deployment and industrial expansion. As demand for these resources accelerates and commodity prices are expected to remain elevated through 2026, Africa’s role as a strategic supply partner is becoming increasingly pronounced. Within this context, AMW 2026 will examine how African producers can move beyond volume-led growth to capture greater value across mining, processing and trade.
International Partnerships Drive Production
Across the continent, mineral producers are scaling-up production, leveraging international partnerships to secure capital and technical expertise. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) – Africa’s largest copper producer and the world’s leading cobalt supplier – recently partnered with the U.S to leverage technical expertise and financing to unlock an estimated $24 trillion in untapped mineral potential. Speaking at AMW 2025, the country’s Minister of Mines Louis Watum Kabamba, underscored the level of opportunity that remains in the country, explaining that “Opportunities across the mining sector in the DRC are huge, with 90% of our resources awaiting greenfield exploration.”
Similarly, Guinea – home to the world’s largest bauxite reserves – is enhancing cooperation with global investors to maximize its mineral value chain under the Simandou 2040 – an international cooperation and national development strategy. Securing $20 billion in international investments for the Simandou iron ore project, Guinea is leveraging this global partnership model to expand bauxite production and processing, corelating to a 25% increase in bauxite exports in 2025.
Zambia, Africa’s second-largest copper producer, is positioning its copper sector as a catalyst for economic expansion, GDP growth and employment creation. The country is actively engaging international investors to achieve its 2031 production target of 3.1 million tons per annum, reinforcing Africa’s role in future copper supply chains.
Balancing Exports with Local Value Addition
As global mineral demand rises, African governments are increasingly prioritizing local beneficiation to retain value, deepen domestic supply chains and unlock broader economic growth. Ghana, Africa’s largest gold producer, recently signed an agreement with South Africa’s Rand Refinery to expand domestic gold processing capacity. Mali is developing a 200-ton-per-annum gold refinery in partnership with Russian investors. Meanwhile, Zimbabwe, Africa’s largest lithium producer, is working with Chinese investors to expand lithium processing capacity ahead of its 2027 ban on lithium concentrate exports. These moves signal a broader shift form export-centered development models to strategies that prioritize domestic markets.
As global competition for critical minerals intensifies, Africa’s ability to align production growth with beneficiation, investment readiness and policy coherence will define its long-term position in global supply chains. AMW 2026 will serve as a focal point for advancing the partnerships and transactions needed to translate mineral wealth into sustainable economic value across the continent.
“AMW 2026 is designed to bring project developers, governments and international investors into the same room to accelerate transactions that move Africa’s mining sector from potential to production and value creation,” stated Rachelle Kasongo, Event Director, AMW.