On September 3, 2025, organizers confirmed that several African mining ministers—including those from South Sudan, Zimbabwe, Malawi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, and Egypt—will participate in African Mining Week (AMW) 2025. The gathering, scheduled to take place in Cape Town in October, is set to be one of the continent’s most influential forums for stakeholders across government, industry, and civil society. With critical minerals now central to global clean-
energy supply chains, the event comes at a time when Africa’s role as a resource hub is being redefined.
The high-level participation reflects both opportunity and tension. On one hand, African states are eager to leverage their vast reserves of copper, cobalt, lithium, and rare earths to attract investment and industrial partnerships. On the other, the continent faces persistent challenges: community opposition to extractive projects, governance gaps, and the risks of overdependence on foreign capital. AMW 2025 is being framed not only as a showcase for resource potential, but also as a space to debate models of benefit-sharing, infrastructure integration, and the ethics of mining expansion.
For stakeholders, the stakes are enormous. The push for Africa’s minerals is tied to billions of dollars in capital and the well-being of millions of people living in mining regions. If engagement remains top-down, the risk is that projects will continue to trigger conflict and resistance. But if the dialogue at AMW 2025 succeeds in integrating community voices and strengthening accountability, it could help reset the relationship between mining companies, governments, and citizens. In this sense, the event is a test of whether Africa can position itself as both a supplier of critical resources and a defender of sustainable, inclusive development.