How Close is Africa to Real Regional and Continental Integration? (Mining Indaba)

As global interest in Africa’s critical minerals grows, so does the opportunity for collective action on value addition and beneficiation. Yet meaningful integration remains elusive. What tangible progress has been made toward regional and continental cohesion, and can Africa overcome the structural, political, and logistical barriers that continue to fragment its economic power?

This ministerial panel will take a close look at what regional and continental integration actually looks like in practice for Africa today, moving beyond commitments on paper to assess concrete progress on coordination, shared infrastructure, trade rules and industrial policy.

It will examine how far initiatives such as regional economic communities and the AfCFTA have gone in supporting cross-border value chains for critical minerals, where they are falling short, and what lessons can be drawn from early experiments in regional processing, joint infrastructure and policy harmonization.

Speakers

• Hon. Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, Minister of Lands & Natural Resources, Republic of Ghana
• Hon. Oladele Henry Alake, Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Nigeria
• Suneeta Kaimal, President and CEO, NRGI (Moderator)
• Hon. Hassan Ali Joho, Cabinet Secretary for Mining, Kenya
• Hon. Losuba Ludoru Wongo, Minister of Mining, Republic of South Sudan