DRC, Nigeria, Zimbabwe Eye Mining Value Chain Gains
Mining leaders from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Nigeria and Zimbabwe have unveiled ambitious strategies to accelerate mineral beneficiation and value addition at the African Mining Week Ministerial Forum.
Louis Watum Kabamba, Minister of Mines for the DRC, said the country is prioritising the creation of special economic zones to enhance investment and industrial participation. He noted that a “one-stop shop” is being developed to simplify fiscal processes and attract capital and technology to the sector.
Kabamba also emphasised the country’s investment in artificial intelligence (AI) to streamline exploration and production, particularly in lithium and copper.
“In copper production, we are currently second to Chile, but we want to be first,” he said.
Zimbabwe’s Minister of Mines and Mining Development, Winston Chitando, announced that the country will commission a new base metal refinery within the next two years. With the world’s second-largest platinum reserves, Zimbabwe aims to leverage its mineral wealth to stimulate employment and local manufacturing.
The government is also establishing three industrial parks in Hwange, Beitbridge and near Harare to facilitate value addition of critical minerals. “Exporting raw ore from a landlocked country does not make economic sense. We must ensure beneficiation translates into real economic value,” Chitando remarked.
Nigeria, meanwhile, is targeting the creation of a $1 billion mining economy by 2030. Yusuf Farouk Yabo, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Mines, revealed that reforms are underway to modernise the Mining Act of 2011, aligning it with the needs of the private sector.
He further highlighted Nigeria’s investment in digitisation across the mining chain, from exploration data to mineral traceability. “We want to guarantee that Nigerian minerals can be traced from mine to market. This ensures all sources are formalised and transparent,” Yabo explained.
