Ghana hosts continental summit on critical minerals: Africa seeks better deals and local wealth creation

Ghana has hosted a significant continental dialogue on how African countries can harness their critical minerals wealth for genuine economic development rather than merely exporting raw resources to foreign buyers. The three-day Regional High-Level Conference on Governance, Critical Minerals, and Conflict in Africa, held at the Kempinski Hotel in Accra and convened by the Open Society Foundations, brought together government ministers, African Union officials, parliamentarians, civil society leaders, traditional authorities, and mining company representatives to reshape the continent's approach to its mineral resources.

The timing is critical. Global demand for critical minerals—essential for battery technology, renewable energy, electronics, and defence applications—is surging as the world transitions to clean energy. Yet African nations, which hold substantial reserves of cobalt, lithium, copper, and rare earth elements, have historically earned minimal benefit from these resources, with wealth flowing to foreign corporations and governments whilst local communities bear the environmental and social costs.

Moving beyond raw material exports

Delegates at the Accra conference emphasised a fundamental shift in strategy: African countries must stop simply digging up minerals and shipping them abroad in raw form. Instead, nations should invest in beneficiation—the processing and refining of minerals into intermediate or finished products—alongside manufacturing, research, and skills development. This value-addition approach would create significantly more jobs, generate higher revenues, and build technical expertise across the continent.

The conference recognised that this transition requires substantial investment in infrastructure, education, and industrial capacity. But the payoff is substantial: instead of earning cents per kilogramme for raw ore, African countries could earn multiples more by processing minerals domestically and supplying downstream industries based in Africa itself.

Governance, transparency, and community voice

Equally important, delegates stressed the need for radical improvements in how mineral governance operates. Stronger transparency and accountability mechanisms are essential to combat corruption, which has historically diverted mineral revenues away from national development and into private hands. The conference called for greater citizen participation in decisions affecting mining, recognising that communities most affected by extraction have legitimate stakes in how projects are managed and what benefits they receive.

A particular emphasis was placed on ensuring that women, young people, traditional leaders, and artisanal miners—often marginalised in formal mining governance structures—have meaningful voice in negotiations and decision-making. Mining communities must be treated as partners, not obstacles or afterthoughts.

Why it matters for Ghana

For Ghana, these discussions are especially relevant. The country is a major gold producer and has significant deposits of bauxite, manganese, and other minerals. Yet Ghana's mining sector has frequently generated controversy over environmental degradation, inadequate community compensation, and limited local processing of minerals. The conference's emphasis on beneficiation and value-addition directly applies to Ghana's ambitions to industrialise and create high-skilled jobs.

Additionally, the conference highlighted the importance of continental cooperation through the African Union and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Stronger African unity on mineral governance and trade could significantly increase the continent's bargaining power in global markets, preventing individual countries from being played off against one another by multinational corporations seeking the cheapest extraction deals.

The gathering concluded with a commitment to strengthen accountable governance frameworks, promote mineral-based industrialisation, and ensure that Africa's mineral wealth translates into lasting prosperity for ordinary Africans rather than enriching elites and foreign investors alone.