African governments are tightening export rules and changing mining laws to ensure they keep more value within their borders.
Zimbabwe’s recent move to bring forward a ban on lithium concentrate exports and increase domestic productivity was pushed by leaders at the annual Africa Mining Conference in Cape Town in February, affirming the urgency for local mineral processing.
At the Mining Indaba conference in Cape Town, South Africa’s Mining Minister, Gwede Mantashe, urged African states to “deepen collaboration” with each other and bolster industrialisation of the sector.
“Our partnership must move beyond extraction to industrialisation. We should add value close to the point of production. We must have a uniform framework that guides all of us on the continent,” said Mantashe.
Partnership to industrialise
But the partnership, he insisted, should not interfere with in-country value addition, allowing each country to create their own factories and jobs for their people.
“We must not take copper from Zambia to Angola for export. We must add value in Zambia. If we don’t do that, we’re going to be in trouble,” Mantashe warned.
South Africa wants to mobilise R2-trillion over five years to strengthen its critical minerals value chain across exploration, project development, manufacturing and skills training.
Mining employs roughly 468,000 formal workers, and government has established a junior miners’ exploration fund now exceeding R2-billion.
Namibia aims to leverage mining sector
Namibia also has its eyes on leveraging its mining sector to create more opportunities, especially for young people and women, and reduce poverty rates in the country.
Namibia’s Deputy Minister of Industries, Mines and Energy, Gaudentia Krohne, said the government will help formalise and scale small-scale miners as uranium production increases in the country.
“We are fully committed to engaging and partnering in this sector of Namibia, small-scale mining in a responsible manner, improving livelihoods while strengthening environmental organisation and skills development,” said Krohne.
At the end of 2024, mining directly employed over 20,000 people in Namibia.
Zimbabwe halts lithium exports
Zimbabwe, Africa’s largest lithium producer, suspended exports of the mineral concentrate and put strict measures in place to curb the sale of raw minerals outside the country. The government said companies must process lithium inside Zimbabwe before exporting it.
Only mining companies with proper licences and approved processing plants will be allowed to export. Middlemen and traders, the country’s minister of mining said, are no longer allowed to export minerals on behalf of miners.
“Government reiterates that these measures are being implemented in the national interest, to enhance mineral accountability, promote beneficiation, and maximise value retention within Zimbabwe,” authorities said.
In order to ensure battery minerals are processed domestically before shipment, the country had planned to effect the ban in January 2027.
Zambia calls on Africa to collaborate
Zambia is also banking on rising investments in its copper to bolster local jobs as it reiterates the call for regional coordination in processing and export strategy.
Zambia’s President, Hakainde Hichilema, stressed that mineral resources can only create prosperity when unlocked through strategic partnerships.
“Africa must collaborate. We all have capabilities. We all have endowments. We all have skills, experiences. But they’re not enough to deliver the total package for all our people,” said Hichilema.
Mining in Zambia created more than 73,000 jobs in 2025 bolstered by major investments in the sector including KoBold Metals’ $300-million Mingomba Mine, Vedanta’s $1.5-billion investment at Konkola Copper Mines and First Quantum’s $1.25-billion Kansanshi S3 expansion.
Countries tighten rules to boost local value
Several other African countries are also tightening rules to boost local value. Malawi has temporarily halted exports of unprocessed minerals as it reviews its mining system. Mali has revised its mining laws to increase the state’s share in projects, saying the reforms will ensure it “fully benefits from its mineral wealth.”
Burkina Faso has centralised gold buying through state-linked bodies and restricted some exports to curb smuggling, while planning local refining.
Niger has made uranium and gold exports conditional on renegotiated contracts which it says will improve the value of its resources. Botswana now requires 24% of new mining projects to be sold to local investors.
Africa holds about 20% of global mineral reserves
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, which produces most of the world’s cobalt, authorities are expanding mineral processing through partnerships, including with the United States. The country has occasionally halted cobalt exports to manage supply. Despite only about 10% of its vast mineral wealth being developed, mining supports over 100,000 jobs.
According to the Compendium of Africa’s Strategic Minerals 2026 released by the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), the continent holds an estimated $29.5-trillion in mineral wealth, about 20% of global reserves, with $8.6-trillion still untapped.
