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“ Ubuntu holds that unity is strength— that when we work together, we craft a better future. This is fundamentally true. By collaborating, we can shape outcomes for the betterment of all stakeholders – and the environment.”
This was echoed by Gwede Mantashe, South Africa’ s Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources.“ Our strength lies in building partnerships that recognise the mutual value of investment. We understand that investors seek returns, and rightly so, but we are equally committed to ensuring that the benefits of growth and development are shared with workers, communities, and the country at large. Progress is only meaningful when it lifts all stakeholders,” he said.
Supplied by Investing in African Mining Indaba
AFRICA / GLOBE:
STRONGER TOGETHER: PARTNERSHIPS WILL TRANSFORM AFRICA’ S MINING SECTOR
The time is opportune for Africa ' s mining sector to step up and realise its full potential. With its vast mineral reserves, the continent possesses the resources to power the next phase of development for the continent and the globe. Given robust debate around which minerals will be most important to fuel that development, there is renewed interest in Africa from across the world.
Community-centric mining: A new paradigm One of the most significant shifts in Africa’ s mining landscape has been the recognition of the need to involve indigenous and local communities. Historically not prioritised, these groups today have a seat at the table, as stakeholders, beneficiaries and equal partners. This shift is encouraging mining companies to adopt more sustainable and community-centric approaches.
Dr Marit Kitaw, economic affairs officer at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, calls for a reimagining of the way that the continent’ s mineral bounty can be developed, so that it benefits a wider range of stakeholders.
“ The theme‘ Stronger together: Progress through partnerships’ is a call to reimagine partnerships on Africa’ s growth journey, to see minerals not as tools of convenience, but as instruments of collective empowerment,” she says.“ Africa’ s transformation through minerals can only be achieved when everyone, including women, youth, marginalised communities, artisanal miners, governments, industry, civil society, academia, and cooperating partners, sit at the table as equal partners. Stronger together, we rise!”
By fostering mutual respect, transparent dialogue, and inclusive decision-making, mining operations can ensure that local communities benefit from resource development while preserving cultural heritage and environmental integrity. From skills sharing and job creation to improving livelihoods and empowering indigenous voices, this new paradigm recognises that mining success must extend beyond production outputs to include shared prosperity and social equity.
Unlocking this potential requires more than resource extraction – it demands a collective effort from governments, private-sector players, downstream buyers, communities and civil society.
The 2026 Investing in African Mining Indaba( MI26) theme,“ Stronger together: Progress through partnerships” highlights the transformative power of collaboration in addressing the sector’ s challenges and opportunities.
MI26 is a pivotal event for mining professionals, investors and industry leaders looking to capitalise on the vast opportunities in Africa ' s mining sector. Mining Indaba 2026 comes at a crucial time for Africa, as it maps the role it will play in the global economy.
The conference theme is powerfully expressed in the visual identity for MI26, with a fingerprint motif representing the human component of the industry and underscoring the need for collaboration across the sector.
Frans Baleni, chair of the Mining Indaba executive advisory board, explains that this year’ s theme aligns with the South African philosophy of ubuntu- a belief in a shared, essential humanism.
Mzila Mthenjane, CEO of the Minerals Council South Africa, emphasises the role of collaboration in driving growth,“ The South African mining sector is positively impactful, but even more so in collaboration with government and other social partners,” he says.“ The sector is poised for growth and will enable the investment and development of key infrastructure that supports livelihoods and economic growth.”
Defining critical minerals A crucial global debate is underway around the idea of critical minerals – resources deemed strategically important for economic, technological or developmental reasons.
Precisely which minerals are critical varies according to national interests. For Africa, its reserves of iron ore1 and gold see it well placed to power infrastructure and technology development as well as financial markets. According to the United Nations, 2 the continent has 40 % of the world’ s gold and up to 90 % of its chromium and platinum.
The continent also holds around 55 % of global reserves of cobalt 3 – a major input in batteries for electric vehicles, smartphones and laptops. DRC accounts for 70 % of global production.
8 • African Mining • August 2025 www. africanmining. co. za