Africa must benefit more from its $3trn mineral wealth – AEMBank

The African Extractive Minerals Development Bank (AEMBank) has declared that Africa must retain greater value from its estimated $3 trillion mineral reserves, as the continent positions itself to drive industrialisation through sustainable extractive development.

Speaking during its London Investor Roadshow, AEMBank executives urged investors to shift focus from the long-standing “pit-to-port” export model toward value addition, beneficiation, and mineral-based industrialisation within Africa, a statement by the Bank noted.

The high-level event attracted leading institutional investors, financiers, and policymakers from Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, marking a major milestone in AEMBank’s effort to connect global capital with Africa’s mineral wealth responsibly.

“AEMBank reflects a new era of strategic partnership between Africa and global capital — one that prioritises sustainability, value creation, and long-term economic transformation,” said Chris Frampton, a member of the AEMBank Board.

Discussions at the London forum underscored growing confidence in AEMBank’s governance model and its responsible investment framework, which align with global Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) standards.

Participants explored pathways to financing Africa’s critical minerals — such as lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements — that underpin the global energy transition. AEMBank is positioning itself as the preferred financial partner for projects that advance green industrialisation and regional value-chain integration.

AEMBank’s institutional development is being guided by the African Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG) — an umbrella body of mineral-rich African nations — with Nigeria currently serving as Chair.

The partnership underscores Nigeria’s growing leadership in shaping Africa’s extractive-sector reforms and financing strategies, particularly through frameworks that promote beneficiation, local content, and infrastructure development.

According to AEMBank, its financing instruments are designed to support mining, mineral processing, logistics, and trade finance. The Bank’s goal is to enable African economies to retain more value locally, create jobs, and boost export competitiveness.

By bridging mineral development with sustainable capital, AEMBank aims to strengthen Africa’s contribution to global supply chains, while ensuring that the continent’s wealth fuels its own economic transformation.

Following the London engagement, AEMBank plans a series of follow-up roadshows to mobilise capital and forge new partnerships for the continent’s extractive-sector transformation.

With operational headquarters in Nigeria, AEMBank positions itself as a pan-African multilateral financial institution dedicated to promoting responsible investment across mineral value chains from exploration to refining and export.

“The time has come for Africa’s mineral wealth to finance Africa’s future,” the Bank declared in its closing statement.