Omanghana
President John Dramani Mahama and Liberia’s Vice President, Jeremiah Koung, have urged African countries to coordinate their mineral policies to secure greater economic benefits from their resources and strengthen their negotiating position with international investors.
Speaking at the opening of the African Minerals Policy Forum, dubbed Mining in Motion 2026, in Accra on Monday, October 19, the two leaders cautioned against competition that encourages countries to reduce royalties and weaken safeguards to attract foreign investment.
They advocated a common approach to mineral governance that would promote fair taxation, local processing and stronger cooperation across national borders.
President Mahama outlined Ghana’s ambition to end raw mineral ore exports by 2030 through phased restrictions covering unprocessed bauxite, iron, lithium and manganese. The objective is to expand domestic processing and manufacturing, allowing the country to retain more of the value generated from its mineral wealth.
The leaders argued that Africa’s resources should support the production of higher-value goods, including electric vehicle batteries, finished aluminum components and transformers, creating opportunities for industrial development and employment.
A coordinated framework on royalties, taxation and resource reporting would also help prevent multinational mining companies from exploiting differences between national policies during concession negotiations.
Koung highlighted the need for African governments to improve their knowledge of the mineral deposits within their territories. He noted that foreign extraction companies often possess more detailed geological information than host governments, leaving public officials at a disadvantage when negotiating agreements.
Investment in independent geological surveys and accessible public data systems was therefore identified as essential to securing fairer deals.
Regional cooperation formed another major part of the discussions. The leaders called for countries to use the African Continental Free Trade Area to build connected mineral value chains, combining raw material supplies with processing capacity, affordable power and transport infrastructure.
Under such arrangements, neighboring countries could share the benefits of mining and manufacturing rather than each attempting to develop every stage of production independently.
Liberia proposed a Common Mineral Policy Compact to translate these objectives into practical commitments. The proposal includes a transparent performance dashboard to track domestic value addition, regional projects and local procurement.
Source: Omanghana
