The Invest in African Energy (IAE) 2027 conference, scheduled for May 11-13, 2027, in Paris, has announced the launch of the Strategic Minerals Forum. This new addition aims to advance Africa's mining and energy investment agenda. Africa holds approximately 30% of the world's critical mineral reserves, including cobalt, copper, graphite, lithium, manganese, and platinum group metals. These minerals play a crucial role in the continent's power sector expansion.
The Strategic Minerals Forum will take place on the final day of IAE 2027, alongside other events such as the Exploration & Discovery Forum and Grid Convergence Forum. The forum will focus on mineral development and its integration into capital allocation discussions for Africa's oil, gas, and power projects. A session on financing the mining infrastructure gap will open the forum, highlighting the challenges of developing inland mineral deposits.
Many of Africa's largest mineral deposits are located far from ports and reliable grids, requiring significant investment in rail lines and power systems. The Lobito Corridor, a development finance-backed project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Zambia, will be examined as a model for replication across other mineral regions. This project demonstrates how mining demand can make infrastructure bankable and provide capacity for surrounding communities.
The forum will also address the role of advanced technology in improving mining efficiency. Declining ore grades and rising input costs are pressuring margins in Africa's diverse mining regions. AI-enabled ore sorting and process control can help increase recovery rates, while on-site solar and battery systems can reduce exposure to diesel prices and unreliable grids. These technological advancements can determine which projects reach final investment decisions.
The second session of the forum will focus on the benefits of advanced technology in mining operations. For example, the Kamoa-Kakula copper complex in the DRC has implemented an on-site solar and battery system to provide baseload power. This reduces the complex's reliance on diesel and mitigates the impact of grid unreliability. Such innovations can make lower-grade material more economic to process.
The Strategic Minerals Forum will conclude with an investor roundtable on accelerating the production of Africa's strategic minerals. The International Energy Agency projects a global copper shortfall in 2035, but notes that promising projects for easing the drop-off are concentrated in Africa, particularly in the DRC and Zambia. The roundtable will bring together capital providers, producers, and policymakers to discuss the conditions for advancing African supply to market.
By incorporating the Strategic Minerals Forum into IAE 2027, the event reflects the close interdependence of Africa's mining and energy sectors. The forum provides a platform for investors to assess the relationship between these sectors and African governments' efforts to turn mineral wealth into domestic industrial growth. The Invest in African Energy Forum returns to Paris for its fifth edition, offering opportunities for sponsorship and registration.
Key points
- The Strategic Minerals Forum aims to advance Africa's mining and energy investment agenda by integrating mineral development into capital allocation discussions.
- Africa holds approximately 30% of the world's critical mineral reserves, including cobalt, copper, and lithium.
- The forum will focus on financing the mining infrastructure gap and the role of advanced technology in improving mining efficiency.
