The Executive Director of Women in Mining Africa, Dr. Comfort Asokoro-Ogaji, says Africa must build strong market intelligence, processing capacity and commercial infrastructure to gain greater value from its mineral resources.
Speaking ahead of her participation as a roundtable speaker at the Shanghai Metals Expo 2026 in China this November, Asokoro-Ogaji said Africa must move beyond celebrating its vast mineral deposits and develop the systems needed to influence how its minerals are valued globally.
Dr. Asokoro-Ogaji said the growth of new centres for metals trading, processing and price discovery offers Africa an opportunity to strengthen its position in the global minerals market.
She said Africa must bring together its producers, geological data, processing facilities, laboratories, financial institutions and regional markets.
“Africa cannot build pricing power simply by having minerals beneath its soil. We must put our African mineral ecosystem together if we want to become more relevant in the markets where value is determined,” she said.
Dr. Asokoro-Ogaji said the need is becoming more urgent as global demand grows for copper, lithium, cobalt, nickel and rare earths.
She said Africa’s focus should not only be on exporting raw minerals but must also invest in processing, reliable mineral data, certification, traceability and access to finance.
She also called for stronger links between African producers and international buyers.
According to her, better access to prices, testing facilities and market information would help women and smaller producers move beyond selling minerals at the mine gate.
She said the Shanghai meeting would provide an opportunity to discuss how global metals pricing can better connect with African production and value addition.
Dr. Asokoro-Ogaji said Africa should use the changing global minerals market to build stronger trading systems and increase its participation in the value chain.
She added that Women in Mining Africa would continue to promote cooperation among governments, mining companies, financial institutions, laboratories, processors and other stakeholders.
Dr. Asokoro-Ogaji said Africa must increasingly participate not only in mineral extraction, but also in processing, trading, finance and value creation.
The participation in Shanghai follows the expansion of strategic cooperation between Women in Mining Africa and Shanghai Metals Market.
The roundtable, organised by Shanghai Metals Market, will focus on “Eastern Pricing 2.0: Integrating Futures, Physical Markets, Industry and Finance for the Next Stage of Global Metals Pricing.”
