• EXCURSION
© African Mining, Incorporating Mining Mirror
POST THE MI26: WHAT NOW?
By Sharon Mdaka
With the 2026 Investing in African Mining Indaba( MI26) having come and gone, the real work now begins. The four-day event, held in Cape Town, was abuzz with optimism as the African mining ecosystem gathered to have meaningful engagements on opportunities, technology and Africa’ s mineral potential.
On the opening day of the conference, South Africa’ s Minister for Mineral and Petroleum, Gwede Mantashe, highlighted the importance of the African continent working together as one. Warning that intensifying geopolitical competition over natural resources poses a growing threat to resource-rich developing countries. While addressing delegates, Mantashe said this year’ s theme,‘ Stronger Together: Progress Through Partnerships’, was a strategic necessity for Africa.
The message was well received, prompting more conversations around execution, investment, automation and policy frameworks, moving the industry forward throughout the conference. From interviews to panel discussions, the sector understands the opportunities that lie in front of them. Now the question is, how will the industry be channelling these opportunities into tangible progress long after the conference?
What investors ultimately need is policy certainty and solid fundamentals. South Africa has made progress in infrastructure and energy reliability, but consistency remains key.
A look into PGMs Breaking down the discussions and sentiments around the Platinum Group Metals, Arnold van Graan, head of Research at Nedbank CIB, explained that there’ s a shift in the basics shaping the Platinum Group Metals market. According to van Graan, constrained supply is no longer theoretical. It is structural.
“ Our view is that supply at best could be flat for the next three years and then we see it coming down. The only way to arrest that decline is for the industry to spend capital to recapitalise some of these mines.”
Stating that uncertainty around demand destruction from battery electric vehicles has softened, creating a more balanced outlook, he said,“ There is less of a demand side risk than there was three years ago. That shift has brought renewed investor interest into the sector.”
In terms of investment, however, it remains closely tied to policy certainty. According to Van Graan, stable regulatory frameworks remain central to capital allocation decisions.“ What investors ultimately need is policy certainty and solid fundamentals. South Africa has made progress in infrastructure and energy reliability, but consistency remains key.”
The discussion reflects a broader reality across African mining. Capital is available, but increasingly selective. Investors are looking for jurisdictions and operators that can demonstrate long-term discipline rather than short-term opportunity.
22 • African Mining • April 2026 www. africanmining. co. za