• Africa as the energy partner of choice rather than necessity – how can an egalitarian approach help galvanize increased collaboration throughout the supply chain?

• What financing instruments can foreign partners provide to supply greater sums of concessional financing and to de-risk private sector investments?

• 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?

•    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?

• Learning from the best - what do countries with fast permitting processes do well that others can replicate?
• Bureaucratic processes - is it possible to reduce permitting times while still maintaining high ESG standards?
• Putting greater pressure on the concept of 'use it or lose it' - good or bad?
• The role of cadastral systems, and the need for greater upgrade investments
• Should the same or similar permitting processes be implemented for artisanal and small-scale miners?

• 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

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

• 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.

• Jobs and economic opportunity have always come with mining, but are those enough to earn the support of local communities?
• How can the inevitable local disruption and impacts of mining be best managed?
• When disagreements arise, how can those best be resolved for the common good?

• What is African mining’s long-term offer to mining communities?
• What should African mining’s legacy be for affected communities?
• How can ‘holes in the ground’ be leveraged for post-mining sustainable development?

• How important is technology in Africa’s sustainable development?
• Is technology being utilised to meet sustainability goals?
• Are technology providers and innovators doing enough, and can technology be a negative to sustainability?

• As the continent looks to turbocharge economic development and mining activities, what does the current infrastructure deficit look like across Africa? Where is the critical access needed? 
• How is infrastructure funding being attracted, and what are the funding mechanisms available to develop new infrastructure requirements?
• How can the maximisation of propulsive local and regional economic linkages help expedite infrastructure development?
• PPPs - how are Public/Private partnerships accelerating development of African infrastructure?