West Africa Must Turn Its Mining Wealth Into Economic Reality, Ghana Chamber of Mines President Warns
The President of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Mr Michael Edem Akafia, has issued a pointed call to West African nations to move beyond recognising their mineral wealth and start converting it into concrete investment, jobs and industrial development.
Speaking at the opening of the 19th West African Mining and Power Exhibition, WAMPEX 2026, in Accra on Wednesday, Mr Akafia told assembled policymakers, investors, development partners and industry leaders that the region stands at a defining moment. Global demand for minerals, particularly those used in batteries and renewable energy technologies, is rising sharply. The question is whether West Africa will capture the value of that demand or watch it benefit others.
The three-day exhibition has drawn more than 6,000 participants from over 20 countries, a turnout that reflects the growing weight of West Africa’s mining and energy sectors in global investment conversations. Deliberations at the event are centred on critical minerals, financing, supply chains and the environmental standards that increasingly shape where capital flows and where it does not.
Mr Akafia was direct about what the region needs to do to compete seriously for that capital. Countries must establish strong policy frameworks, clear regulatory systems and efficient operational structures capable of giving long-term investors the confidence they require. Reliable infrastructure and competitive incentive packages are equally essential. Without these foundations, the opportunity risks remaining exactly that, an opportunity rather than a reality.
He placed particular emphasis on responsible mining, arguing that it is not a constraint on growth but a precondition for it. “Responsible mining is not only compatible with sustainable development, it is essential for growth, jobs, and long-term value,” he said. For Mr Akafia, sustainability is not a narrow environmental concept. It encompasses economic, social, environmental and governance considerations simultaneously, and he urged mining companies to create shared value, support host communities, protect the environment and uphold transparency as baseline expectations rather than optional commitments.
The Chamber president also called for deeper regional collaboration, making clear that the scale of the opportunity is too large for any single country to unlock on its own. “No single stakeholder or country can unlock this opportunity alone,” he said, urging Ghana and its regional partners to strengthen cooperation in improving the investment climate and driving economic transformation collectively.
Innovation and emerging technologies also featured prominently in his remarks. Mr Akafia noted that operational efficiency and investor attractiveness in the mining sector will increasingly depend on how well countries and companies embrace technological advancement. Those that do will be better positioned to compete. Those that do not risk falling behind in a sector that is evolving rapidly.
He closed with a challenge to everyone in the room, to treat WAMPEX 2026 not as another talking shop but as a platform for measurable outcomes. “Let us use this platform not only for dialogue, but for delivery and performance,” he said.
Jaysonlive Analysis
Mr Akafia’s message at WAMPEX 2026 is one that West African governments need to hear clearly and act on urgently. The global energy transition is creating a structural and sustained surge in demand for the very minerals that sit beneath this region’s soil. That window will not stay open indefinitely. Countries that get their policy environments right, build the infrastructure, attract serious investment and insist on responsible practices will benefit enormously. Those that continue to export raw materials without value addition will find themselves on the wrong side of one of the most significant economic shifts of this generation.
Regional cooperation is not just a nice idea in this context. It is a strategic necessity. West Africa negotiating and competing as a bloc, rather than as fragmented individual markets, will ultimately determine the scale of benefit the region extracts from this moment.
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