Mthembu Unveils Plan To Transform Africa’s Mining Sector

BY SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

HRH Nosipho Mthembu, Minister of Mining and Blue Economy in the Alkebulan Hieratic Government, has unveiled a continental initiative to transform Africa’s mining sector through technology, local refining and regional collaboration.

Mthembu unveiled the initiative, tagged REMAP AFRICA, at the Africa Mining Convention 2026 in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.

She also serves as Director of Blue Sovereignty and Traditional Ocean Governance in the Blue Council Africa of the Africa Blue Economy Roundtable (ABER).

She said Africa must end its dependence on exporting raw minerals and importing finished products made from its natural resources.

“Mining is not just about gold and platinum; it is about people, partnership and prosperity for Africa,” she said.

Mthembu said Africa possessed substantial mineral resources but continued to lose economic value through inadequate local processing and limited industrial capacity.

She cited estimates that Africa held significant shares of global cobalt, platinum and manganese reserves, yet accounted for less than five per cent of refined mineral production.

According to her, the continent exports about 90 billion dollars worth of raw minerals annually while importing 270 billion dollars in finished products.

She said REMAP AFRICA would provide a framework for addressing the imbalance through resource sovereignty, technological innovation and regional cooperation.

The initiative’s key pillars include reclaiming mineral sovereignty, embracing technology, integrating mining with the blue economy, strengthening African collaboration and prioritising women and young people.

Under the proposed framework, Mthembu advocated a new Alkebulan Mining Code that would provide for minimum 40 per cent state ownership and 30 per cent in-country mineral beneficiation.

She also proposed deploying artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, drones and satellites to improve mineral exploration, traceability and accountability.

Mthembu announced plans for HAYAH GEO-SAT, an African-owned mineral-mapping satellite constellation expected to provide communities with greater control over data on their mineral resources by 2027.

She said blockchain-based tracking would improve transparency in mineral transactions, from extraction sites to export ports, and help curb corruption and illicit financial flows.

The minister also proposed using artificial intelligence and renewable energy to reduce mining costs and support lower-carbon production.

On regional integration, she called for the establishment of an Africa Mineral Exchange, to be headquartered in Victoria Falls, to strengthen African influence over mineral pricing.

She further proposed a Southern African Development Community (SADC) lithium-to-battery corridor linking mining, refining, battery production and shipping facilities across the region.

The proposed corridor would connect Zimbabwe’s mining areas with processing facilities in Gwanda, battery production in Durban, South Africa, and shipping through Maputo, Mozambique.

Mthembu said the initiative would enable African countries to retain more economic value from their mineral resources.

She also called for a Women in Mining and Blue Economy Alliance, proposing 30 per cent women’s ownership in mining licences and the establishment of a Pan-African Women in Mining Cooperative.

The minister urged African leaders to harmonise mining laws under a proposed common African Mining Code to strengthen the continent’s bargaining power in global mineral markets.

She described Zimbabwe as a potential model for mineral beneficiation, citing its platinum and lithium resources and the opportunities for developing local processing industries.

“Zimbabwe is the proof of REMAP. If Zimbabwe can beneficiate here, all of Africa can,” she said.

Mthembu urged delegates at the convention to adopt the REMAP Declaration as an outcome document to advance the proposed reforms.

She said the initiative was intended to ensure that Africa’s mineral wealth translated into jobs, industrial development and improved livelihoods for present and future generations.

“We will reclaim. We will refine. We will remap. For our mothers who carried stones, for our fathers who died in shafts, for our children who must not repeat that pain,” she said.