By Ayomide Otitoju
Mining leaders from Zimbabwe, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) outlined strategies to boost mineral beneficiation and value addition during the Ministerial Forum at African Mining Week 2025 in Cape Town.
Louis Watum Kabamba, DRC’s Minister of Mines, said the country is prioritizing special economic zones to drive industrial participation, supported by simplified fiscal processes and technology investments. “We want to use advanced technology to unlock lithium potential. We are also second to Chile in copper production and we want to be first,” Kabamba stated. He added that artificial intelligence will be deployed to improve exploration and production efficiency.
Zimbabwe’s Minister of Mines and Mining Development, Winston Chitando, announced that a new base metal refinery will be commissioned within two years. He noted that Zimbabwe, home to the world’s second-largest platinum reserves, is positioning itself to stimulate job creation and local manufacturing industries. The country is also developing three industrial parks in Hwange, Beitbridge and near Harare to expand value addition of critical minerals. “Exporting ore without processing makes no economic sense, especially for a landlocked country,” Chitando emphasized.
From Nigeria, Yusuf Farouk Yabo, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Mines, highlighted reforms aimed at building a $1 billion mining economy by 2030. He said the government is revising the 2011 Mining Act to align with private sector needs and is rolling out digitized processes for mineral traceability and transparency. “We want to ensure traceability from mining to monetization, with Nigerian minerals sourced either directly from licensed holders or formalized artisanal and small-scale miners,” Yabo explained.
The forum underscored a shared commitment by African governments to shift from raw mineral exports to domestic beneficiation, positioning the continent as a stronger player in global mineral value chains.
