CAPE TOWN, SA – The Africans for Africa Initiative (AFA) completed what they characterized as a week of highly engaging discussions at the Mining Indaba conference in Cape Town, South Africa.
Throughout the Mining Indaba, one of the continent’s most prominent mining and natural resources industry events, the AFA delegation participated in numerous panel discussions, investor meetings, and strategic forums. This annual conference is a meeting of ministers, mining executives, financial experts, and policy makers involved in structuring investment and policy for Africa.
AFA representatives stated that their primary interest was in the empowerment and expansion of African leadership and ownership across mineral value chains. They expressed the belief that there must be increased African involvement in the mining sector’s extraction, refining, and value addition, because Africa, in general, needs to see a greater share of benefit derived from its natural resource wealth.
Over the week, AFA representatives made their presence known in negotiations and in policy-making circles, addressing topics such as contract transparency, community impact and benefits, responsible investment, and critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt and copper, which are so vital for the future global energy system.
The annual event, held in Cape Town, provides an important platform for negotiation, showcase of exploration plans, and engagement. Delegations of officials from the continent as well as from outside the continent gathered there this week, while a more competitive global race for African minerals intensifies.
AFA delegates characterized their meetings as highly fruitful, anticipating a host of future engagements and negotiation opportunities to advance their vision of restructuring Africa’s part in the mining industry.
