Stability key to mining investment in West Africa – Australian High Commissioner-designate

West Africa's substantial mineral wealth has the potential to attract sustained investment, but only if companies, governments, and communities can operate in a stable, secure, and predictable environment, according to Australian High Commissioner designate to Ghana, Keara Shaw. Speaking at the sixth West Africa Mining Security Conference (WAMS) in Accra, Shaw emphasized that investment confidence is just one aspect of a larger security conversation.

She highlighted that the operating environment now extends beyond physical threats to personnel and infrastructure, encompassing political uncertainty, security pressures from the Sahel region, organized crime, community expectations, environmental concerns, and evolving regulatory frameworks.

Shaw stressed that while a mine can be physically secure, it may operate within an increasingly unpredictable environment. This necessitates a focus on governance, transparent rules, community relationships, and the capacity of institutions to manage risk for investment decisions. She also recognized the shared responsibility between governments and industry.

Governments must ensure clear and consistently administered investment frameworks, while mining companies must understand that their operating license extends beyond formal permits to their engagement with communities, management of environmental impacts, and response to legitimate national expectations.

Ghana's Deputy Minister for the Interior, Ebenezer Okletey Terlabi, echoed Shaw's message, emphasizing the importance of balancing security and investment. He stated that Ghana remains committed to creating a mining sector where security protects legitimate investment, investment generates opportunities, opportunities strengthen communities, and stronger communities reinforce national and regional stability.

Terlabi highlighted that West Africa's mineral wealth could contribute significantly to industrialization and the global economy, but protecting this opportunity requires coordination across security, finance, border management, natural resource governance, and host communities.

The WAMS conference, organized by Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, underscored that security is no longer just a cost of mining operations but an integral part of the environment that determines the long-term viability of investment. Shaw's message was clear: protecting investment must be inseparable from the stability, institutions, and communities on which that investment ultimately depends.