2025 Agenda

Held under the theme ‘Building a unified African mining value chain: Enhancing best practice’, the Ministerial Symposium continues to gather African government leaders, industry stakeholders, and key figures in the mining sector to tackle critical challenges and foster collaboration; this year focusing on best practice across the mining value chain, including permit issuance, resource stewardship, and downstream value addition.

Featuring expanded UN-style breakout sessions accommodating larger groups, discussions will yield actionable commitments aimed at improving permitting efficiency, maximizing local community resource benefits, and promoting domestic mineral processing for economic resilience. The setting not only fosters diverse input but encourages a thorough analysis of the challenges to future-proof Africa's mining sector, ensuring the continent fully reaps the economic benefits of its rich mineral resources.

Strictly by invitation only, the Ministerial Symposium will ensure that critical discussions can be conducted effectively, enabling ministers to engage more deeply on urgent matters and fostering meaningful partnerships that can propel sustainable development throughout Africa’s mining industry. This transformation underscores Mining Indaba’s commitment to promoting open dialogue on Africa's mineral wealth and its vital role in shaping the future of global supply chains.

Join us for the highly anticipated inaugural ceremony which sets the stage for the week ahead. 

South African & African Union anthem 

• Examining technology trends across various industries to identify potential areas for migration
• Exploring complementary technologies that can benefit from cross-industry application
• Is resistance to change and adoption of new technologies within organizations slowing technological progress?

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• What are the processes and challenges in commercialising mining-related research
• How does commercialisation contribute to sustainability and competitiveness in mining?
• What role do universities and research institutions play in mining research commercialisation, and who is at fault for poor commercialisation?

Keynote by a leading expert in the field – presenting their annual commodity outlook report exclusively at Mining Indaba. Explore short-term and long-term forecasts for commodity markets, considering the potential impacts of geopolitical developments, environmental policies, and technological advancements.

Global investors and consultants will unpack their commodities outlook views - with broad predictions for the metals and mining sectors for 2025.

Live demonstrations of cutting-edge technologies which are leading global innovation.

• Introduction and Panel discussion: Success factors for unlocking performance excellence in mining operations 
• Showcase: Experience GenAI and digital operations excellence in mining

• How are data and AI revolutionising the mining industry across the value chain? 
•  What is the potential return on investment from data-driven initiatives, from improved operational efficiency to predictive maintenance, expediating mineral discovery, and improving drilling confidence? 
• What are the hurdles in implementing data standards in the mining industry? 

Africa's strategic edge: Critical minerals for a global clean energy future 

Working Group Sessions:

• Strategic importance of critical minerals: With its rich reserves of critical minerals, like cobalt and lithium, how can the continent leverage these for sustainable growth? 
• Global demand and Africa's opportunity: Africa's resources and energy mix could lead in the clean energy transition. What strategies can ensure Africa maximizes this advantage? 
• Overcoming challenges to maximise benefits: Extraction challenges remain, from infrastructure to ESG concerns. How can Africa build investor trust while managing ESG risks? 
• Policy initiatives to support mineral maximisation: What role do public-private partnerships play in supporting sustainable development? 
• Actionable strategies and a future roadmap: Stakeholders are shaping plans to strengthen Africa's supply chain role. Which collaborations will drive long-term, sustainable growth? 

• Assessing the social, environmental, and economic impacts of mining on traditional communities 
• Examining how traditional leadership can effectively engage with mining companies and the government and establish effective partnerships 
• Explore mechanisms to balance surface and underground mining rights 
• Propose actionable solutions to promote social cohesion and address environmental degradation 

Hear from one of Africa’s pioneering leaders of change as they share their vision, and actions, for future-proofing Africa’s mining sector 

The crucial role that innovation plays to ensure growth in the African Mining market. 

Explore Africa’s unique geological wealth and the transformative potential of its minerals in global value chains at this World Bank-hosted session. This dynamic event will focus on harnessing Africa's resource endowments for long-term, strategic industrial planning, value addition and infrastructure development, emphasizing the critical link between understanding resource locations and enabling strategic investments. The event will share on selective activities the World Bank is undertaking to enable the realization of a responsible mineral development that fosters value addition in Africa.

Participate in an open dialogue discussion with industry peers about current trends, challenges, and opportunities. Expect to gain valuable insights into market forecasts, risk management strategies, and the impact of global economic factors on commodity prices.

*Strictly by invitation only*

Hear from one of Africa’s pioneering leaders of change as they share their vision, and actions, for future-proofing Africa’s mining sector 

• Country, company and community perspectives on distribution of benefits and harms across the continent and within nations and communities
• The role of international involvement (and interference) in elevating certain countries over others (e.g. exploration, trade and investment privileging)
• What does a just transition offer for delivering energy security to Africa?

• As global powers vie to define and execute their own critical minerals strategies, how is Africa being positioned in these conversations?
• How critical are critical minerals to Africa’s own energy security? Is the global energy transition leaving Africa behind?
• Competition and collaboration – how can greater strategic diplomacy ensure partnerships yield long-term benefits for the continent without perpetuating dependency?

Hear from one of Africa’s pioneering leaders of change as they share their vision, and actions, for future-proofing Africa’s mining sector 

This summary panel will delve into the findings of each roundtable, with each leader building upon the preceding discussions and briefing the audience on the key takeaways. 

Hear from one of Africa’s pioneering leaders of change as they share their vision, and actions, for future-proofing Africa’s mining sector 

Session sponsored by Michelin

• What are the key benefits of using data and AI for workforce optimization in today’s business environment?
• The importance of data literacy and analytics skills in optimizing workforce management, improving safety, and enhancing productivity.
• How can data-driven and AI-powered tools and technologies transform the mining industry?

• Africa as the premier energy partner – how can an equitable approach help galvanize increased collaboration throughout the supply chain? 
• What financing instruments can foreign partners provide to de-risk & catalyze private sector investments to unlock the value addition capacities prioritized by Africa?
• What else needs to be done to ensure the continent becomes the global mineral leader, and future-proof its industry? 
• As foreign actors seek alternatives to minimize overreliance, does the continent risk losing its moment?

The Global Investor Commission on Mining 2030 is a collaborative investor-led initiative seeking to define a vision for a socially and environmentally responsible mining sector overall by 2030, and to develop a consensus about the role of finance in realising this vision. The Commission is consulting with stakeholders on one of its seven workstreams: ‘Historic legacies addressed and positive legacies for current operations created’. 

The Commission will seek input on the definition of legacy and the framing of the overall topic. Participants will then be invited to share their inputs and reflections which will inform the future work of the Commission.

Hear from one of Africa’s pioneering leaders of change as they share their vision, and actions, for future-proofing Africa’s mining sector 

• How is climate instability affecting African mining and African mining communities?
• What solutions are miners, governments, local leaders adopting to support climate change adaptation in mining communities?
• How can a pursuit of co-benefits in miners’ community development and national policy efforts build greater resilience to a changing climate? (case studies)
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Hear from one of Africa’s pioneering leaders of change as they share their vision, and actions, for future-proofing Africa’s mining sector

Unlocking the future of mining operations: The Tech-Enabled mining workshop 
Prepare for an immersive hands-on workshop where participants can try out new technologies and configure their own Industrial Copilots relevant to their mining persona.  
This will provide practical experience and deeper understanding for all attendees. 

Session Sponsored by Microsoft

• Are measures to restrict exports of raw minerals increasing local value addition?
• Why are producers increasingly leveraging their minerals towards securing greater local content and participation in domestic mining activities from foreign players? 
• Looking at the long-standing regional development protocols, how can partners support sustainable investments into local mining value chains whilst also promoting transparent & equitable policy?

Hear from one of Africa’s pioneering leaders of change as they share their vision, and actions, for future-proofing Africa’s mining sector

• What are the inherent risks associated with mining operations that make achieving Zero Harm particularly challenging?
• How can technology support with achieving zero harm goals?
• How can artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies be leveraged to optimize Health and safety?
• How can workers be empowered to take ownership of their safety and report hazards without fear of reprisal?

Panel 1 : Advancing Green Technologies, Energy and Information in Africa: A Collaborative Approach 
Panel 2 : Governance of Africa’s Minerals Development interfacing the draft African Green Minerals Strategy (AGMS), the African Minerals Governance Framework (AMGF) and the African Governance Report (AGR) 

Hear from one of Africa’s pioneering leaders of change as they share their vision, and actions, for future-proofing Africa’s mining sector 

Hear from one of Africa’s pioneering leaders of change as they share their vision, and actions, for future-proofing Africa’s mining sector 

•    Which African nations already mine their seabeds? 
•    What does deep sea mining have to offer African nations and enterprises? 
•    Why should Africa support or resist deep sea mining? (Fisheries, chemistry, justice)
•    How can benefits and harms be fairly distributed? 

• Whilst the continent remains under-explored, are African nations well equipped to ramp up their exploration activities to meet global minerals demand? 
• What supportive policies, incentives and partnerships are there available to engage with the public sector?
• Developing domestic capability - what can be done to drive further investment into African exploration projects? 
• How can governments utilise this increased drive for mineral exploration to promote further development of industry & local communities?

• Are communities people being consulted enough with health and safety risks •    What are the risks that mining creates to communities? 
• In what ways can technology enhance transparency and accountability in mining, fostering trust and collaboration with affected communities?
• What ethical considerations must be addressed when deploying surveillance technologies in mining communities to monitor safety risks?

1. The government factor: A landscape that offers investment-friendly options for increased infrastructure development spend, improved permitting processes and downstream value-addition is the dream. Can it be turned Into reality?
2. The investment factor: Future demand for metals has never looked brighter, but are investors willing to provide the required capital at every stage of the mining life cycle?
3. The community factor: Mining means job creation and economic opportunities, but is that enough to win the support of local communities for new projects?
4. The talent factor: Artificial intelligence holds the future to technology adoption in mining - is tomorrow's mining generation prepared at a tertiary education level for this, and what does their integration with the existing workforce look like?
5. The market factor: Are downstream buyers ready to play their part, including buying critical minerals from “risky” jurisdictions?”

• The role of mining in Africa’s industrialization and its importance for global supply chains 
• African initiatives aimed at promoting investment in Africa’s mining sector 
• Addressing shared challenges: responsible mining practices, environmental sustainability and local capacity building 
• Strengthening trade policies and investment frameworks between the AfDB and AU to ensure sustained continental growth 

Session sponsored by EPRM

• What worked, what didn’t and want needs to change to ensure the artisanal and small-scale mining sector formalizes and professionalizes across the continent 
• How to pivot from pilot projects and short-lived interventions to sector wide change 
• Zooming in on the Ivorian gold sector and the Congolese cobalt sector, the panel will discuss what impact at scale could look like, if the right investments are made into the sector. 

• What are the key features of the Brazilian PPP infrastructure model and what factors led to this model being developed in the country?
• What led to this model being successfully adopted by the mining sector for its infrastructure needs?
• How is the reform of infrastructure projects in Africa benefiting the mining sector in countries like South Africa and Angola?
• How can countries in Africa adopt elements of the Brazilian PPP model to support the sustainable growth of their mining sectors?
• How can infrastructure projects be developed more sustainably?

• This session will address the ‘how’ of bringing investments into local processing & refining of minerals and facilitating downstream manufacturing across Africa. 
• What are the key levers of support governments need and how can south-south & international cooperation address some of the challenges currently faced?  
• How do regional & global architectures around trade policy, technology transfer & development financing need to be reshaped to align climate ambitions with Africa’s critical minerals endowment and industrialization goals?   

Topics to be addressed: 

• South Africa state of mining and critical minerals strategy 
• Beneficiation of Critical Minerals and SA’s Industrialisation Drive 
• Innovation, technology, skills to support beneficiation of Critical Minerals 
• Power generation to support industrialisation 
• Financing of South Africa’s critical mineral development 
• The role of private sector in catalysing inclusive economic growth across the critical minerals value chain 
• Manganese as a critical mineral for the battery industry 

Unlocking potential: Value addition and industrial transformation in Africa

Session 1: High Level Panel Discussion on the Challenges and Opportunities of Industrializing Africa’s through Minerals 

Session 2: Practical level Discussions on the Challenges and Opportunities of Industrializing Africa’s through Minerals  

• Why this government objective?
• Unpacking enabling conditions for mining companies and international players to foray into local value addition for critical energy transition minerals
• Understanding the perspectives of battery and electric vehicles manufacturers to better understand midstream opportunities and actions needed to unlock those segments
• The role of private sector and state-owned enterprises in implementing the vision of governments to transform domestic mining sectors to deliver greater value addition

• What are the cultural taboos and organisational silos that discourage open discussion about corruption?
• Does the fear of reputational damage and legal consequences prevent companies from engaging in these conversations?
• Examine the complexity of navigating different regulatory environments across countries and regions.