Mahama urges Africa to leverage critical minerals boom for industrial growth

Former Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama urged African nations to capitalize on the rising global demand for critical minerals to boost local manufacturing, enhance their economies, and secure a larger market share. He urged the continent to shift beyond the export of raw minerals and focus on domestic processing, value addition, and the development of industries capable of transforming natural resources into finished and semi-finished products.

During the opening of the 2026 Mining in Motion Conference on Monday, October 19, Mahama stressed the importance of African countries taking greater ownership of mineral resources, responsibly extracting them, and processing them domestically and competitively. He highlighted the increased demand for critical minerals due to the transition to cleaner energy, which presents Africa with a chance to strengthen its position in manufacturing by building skills, technology, and reliable supply networks.

Mahama pointed out that Ghana is progressing toward greater domestic value addition through projects aimed at connecting mineral extraction to local processing and industrial production. He mentioned initiatives such as the Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation (GIADEC) and the Ghana Integrated Iron and Steel Development Corporation (GIISDEC), which are working to develop an integrated aluminium industry using bauxite resources and promote the development of iron ore resources for domestic steel production, respectively.

Mahama emphasized that building local processing and manufacturing capacity, alongside investments in skills, technology, and reliable supply networks, is crucial for Africa to leverage the growing demand for critical minerals and advance its industrial development.