Invest Africa Insights

Africa’s mining ecosystem is entering a new era of growth and transformation. As global demand for critical minerals accelerates, the continent’s vast resource base is becoming central to resilient, sustainable value chains. As we move towards our 13th Annual Mining Series in February, we explore five trends amongst those defining Africa’s mining landscape in 2026.

On the sidelines of the IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings in Washington, DC, we hosted a high-level breakfast roundtable at Hogan Lovells in partnership with Standard Chartered and TCX. This executive summary highlights key insights from the discussion, which convened senior representatives from government, multilaterals, DFIs, private capital, and insurers to explore innovative approaches to easing emerging market debt through debt-for-development, local currency solutions, and sustainable finance.

As the global economic order undergoes seismic realignment, Africa finds itself at a turning point: no longer a passive participant, but a potential architect of its own financial destiny. With traditional development finance under pressure, the imperative is clear: to forge a bold, homegrown model that is innovative, collaborative, and unapologetically African. Premier Invest is at the forefront of this paradigm—mobilising local finance, navigating risk, and connecting ambition with execution. In a time when capital is more cautious and political, such ingenuity may be essential to unlocking Africa’s next era of growth. Invest Africa Insights spoke with René Awambeng, Founder and Managing Partner of Premier Invest, in a candid conversation on building resilience, relevance, and agency in a shifting global landscape.

Last week’s IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington reflected growing uncertainty in the global economy, with shifting power dynamics and rising geopolitical tensions taking centre stage. For Africa, the conversations signalled both mounting risks and renewed recognition of the continent’s importance to the world’s economic future. In this edition if Invest Africa Ingsights, we explore 5 key takeaways for the continent from the week.

On the sidelines of the 2025 IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings, Invest Africa and Standard Chartered convened a private roundtable to examine Africa’s evolving access to international capital markets. Held under Chatham House Rules, the session brought together senior stakeholders from multilateral institutions, DFIs, global investors, and African policymakers. Key speakers included Dr Kamau Thugge, Governor of the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK); Dr José Viñals, Group Chairman of Standard Chartered; and Paul Hinks, Chairman of Invest Africa USA, who welcomed guests and framed the discussion.

For too long, Africa has been the backbone of global supply chains, exporting vast quantities of raw minerals while importing back refined products at a premium. But if one thing was made clear at Invest Africa’s 12th Annual Mining Series alongside Mining Indaba 2025, it’s that this model is no longer sustainable. Africa must move beyond extraction and start creating wealth from its own resources. From shifting investment patterns to geopolitical tensions and the digital transformation of mining, here are five key takeaways from Mining Series 2025.

Aon’s Global Mining Practice Leader, Paul Pryor, unpacks Aon’s latest report - Connected Perspectives: Better Decisions on Risk Capital and Human Capital for Mining Organisations  - highlighting the key challenges facing the mining sector, as well as the opportunities and measures to manage the increased volatility and risk.

The 38th AU Summit in Addis Ababa took place this month amid urgent crises and rising expectations. Conflicts in the DRC and Sudan are escalating, financial independence remains elusive, and trade integration is sluggish. Yet, the Summit highlighted Africa's push against structural dependencies, outdated financial systems, and a global order where it seeks a greater role. In this Invest Africa Insights, we explore key takeaways from the 2025 AU Summit.

2025 is set to be a pivotal year for Africa. Despite ongoing challenges—economic volatility, political instability, and structural hurdles—opportunities are emerging. As the continent shifts both domestically and globally, what should investors look out for? Here are five key trends to keep on the radar.

Loinette Capital’s decade-long partnership with Joe’s Earthworks & Mining (JEM) demonstrates what can be achieved when financial expertise and thoughtful collaboration meet. This partnership, built on trust and shared goals, has supported JEM in strengthening its mining services and achieving sustainable growth in an evolving and competitive market.

COP29 in Baku wrapped up this week amid a mix of tentative hope and palpable frustration. Developed nations pledged at least $300 billion annually by 2035 to support developing countries in their fight against climate change. In this edition of Invest Africa Insights, we explore the specifics behind the $300 billion pledge, examine the political dynamics behind Africa’s frustration at COP29, and delve into the ongoing debate over loans versus grants in climate finance.

In a deeply unstable geopolitical environment and with economic recovery proving extremely sluggish in many key markets, the tech industry is nevertheless in a very confident mood as it looks towards opportunities for future growth. That is the clear conclusion of DLA Piper’s biennial Tech Index which, for the first time takes a truly global snapshot of opinion from across the tech sector.

With Africa's strategic importance and potential being increasingly recognised, the UNGA agenda is packed with issues critical to the continent’s trade and investment future. We have identified five critical topics that will take centre stage this week.

On the occasion of Women's Month in South Africa, Invest Africa spoke with Taelo Mojapelo, CEO of bp Southern Africa. In the interview, Taelo discusses her career path, the barriers she has overcome, and bp Southern Africa’s efforts to empower women. Her insights offer a compelling perspective on how individual achievements can drive broader structural changes and contribute to a more inclusive economic future.

At the end of May, South Africans went to the polls for national and provincial elections that marked a significant shift in the country's political landscape. To delve into what this historic election and the new coalition government mean for investors and businesses operating in and around South Africa, Invest Africa recently hosted a podcast with Ipeleng Selele, Chairperson of Brand South Africa; Seamus Duggan, Director for Global Risk Analysis at Control Risks; and Jeff Gable, Chief Economist at Absa.

Read this report by Jeremy Holmes Consulting Ltd, sharing insights into the challenges of the African pharmaceutical sector, as well as strategies that can be used to navigate the sector, while simultaneously stimulating economic growth, improving access to healthcare and addressing the mounting challenge of non-communicable diseases across East-Africa.

This report from Economist Impact and Prudential plc explores the hopes and aspirations that, in the pandemic aftermath, people in West and East Africa hold for different aspects of their well-being, including their physical and mental health, their personal finances, their relationships with family and friends, and interaction with their communities.

The 10th edition of The Africa Debate convened 700+ delegates in London to discuss Africa’s evolving and increasingly influential role in the global landscape. We are pleased to share the post-event report highlighting key insights from the programme.

Earlier this year, DLA Piper partnered with Invest Africa to convene DFIs and other investors, corporates, and policy makers to explore how DFIs should refine their approaches to invest and mobilise more capital to the continent, maximise impact, and better serve as a catalyst for growth and development in Africa.

To shed light on the value of technology and smart data for mapping and assessing natural capital, Invest Africa spoke to Simon Bosch, Managing Director at Xcalibur Smart Mapping. The following interview explores the specific technologies and methodologies employed by Xcalibur Smart Mapping, as well as the role of smart data in enhancing operational efficiency and cost-effectiveness for both governments and companies involved in resource extraction.