Africa must expand beneficiation, processing and regional value chains and must put its mineral ecosystem together if it intends to become more relevant at the tables where the value of minerals and metals is determined.
This was the summation of Dr. Comfort Asokoro-Ogaji, Executive Director, Women in Mining Africa (WiM-Africa) at the Shanghai Metals Expo 2026 Roundtable tagged: ‘Eastern Pricing 2.0 — Integrating Futures, Physical Markets, Industry and Finance for the Next Stage of Global Metals Pricing.’
She said, “We should progressively develop the capacity to move from exporting predominantly unprocessed minerals towards supplying products that meet higher industrial specifications.
“International prices respond to supply, demand, quality, inventories, financial conditions, risk and market expectations. Africa cannot simply announce the prices it wishes to receive”.
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Asokoro-Ogaji added that having minerals is not the same as having pricing power. “And mineral wealth alone does not guarantee industrial prosperity.
“Our task is to translate mineral endowment into stronger institutions, competitive businesses, industrial development and lasting economic opportunities.
“What we can do is strengthen our bargaining position, reduce information asymmetry, improve product quality and participate more effectively in the commercial structures through which minerals are traded.
“Consider an African producer selling copper concentrate. The value realised is not determined by the international benchmark alone. It also depends on mineral grade, moisture, payable metal content, treatment and refining charges, impurities, transport costs, contract terms and the producer’s ability to negotiate,” she said.
She stated that without reliable laboratory testing, transparent market information, appropriate financing and access to credible buyers, that producer may capture considerably less value than its mineral resource could otherwise support.
“This is why Africa must begin to treat market intelligence, mineral testing, processing infrastructure and trade finance as strategic economic capabilities,” she said.
