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The African Development Bank Group, in partnership with African governments and the African Union Commission, will host a landmark Ministerial Forum on Critical Minerals Value Chain and Beneficiation: Pathways for African Transformation on Friday, 10 July 2026, at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Abidjan.

The high-level gathering will bring together ministers responsible for mining, energy, industry, the green economy, and natural resources, as well as senior representatives from regional development banks, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, the UN Economic Commission for Africa, institutional investors, and technical partners.

Africa holds nearly 30% of the world’s reserves of critical minerals, including cobalt, lithium, graphite, rare earth elements, platinum group metals, copper, manganese, and nickel. The continent’s mineral endowment is valued at $29.5 trillion, equivalent to more than eight times Africa’s annual GDP, with $8.6 trillion still undeveloped.

Global demand for these minerals is surging. By 2040, demand for platinum group metals is projected to rise by over 1,000%, lithium by 842%, and copper by 88% compared with 2023 levels. The electric vehicle and battery value chain alone is expected to expand from $7 trillion in 2030 to $59 trillion by 2050.

The forum will provide African leaders with an opportunity to define strategic pathways for local value addition and commit to leveraging mineral resources for sustainable development. Discussions will focus on positioning the critical minerals sector as a driver of industrialisation, energy security, infrastructure development, digitalisation, job creation, and regional resilience.

The event will also highlight measures to strengthen the link between mineral beneficiation and local value addition, aligning with Agenda 2063, the African Green Minerals Vision, and the AfDB’s Ten-Year Strategy.

A key milestone will be the integration of the forum’s outcomes into the New African Financial Architecture for Development (NAFAD), adopted in April 2026 through the Abidjan Consensus. NAFAD aims to mobilise blended finance, guarantees, and institutional capital to close Africa’s critical minerals investment gap.

This forum is expected to mark a turning point in Africa’s ability to harness its mineral wealth for transformation, ensuring that the continent moves beyond raw exports to building resilient, value-added industries.