Ghana is engaging the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) to mobilise capital for developing its mineral resources, with priority focus on bauxite, gold, and iron ore projects.
The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, held strategic discussions with Samaila Zubairu, President and Chief Executive Officer of AFC, on the sidelines of the Investing in Africa Mining Indaba 2026 in Cape Town, South Africa on Monday, February 10, 2026.
The talks centred on project financing, risk mitigation, and value creation, with both parties exploring mechanisms to de-risk large-scale investments in Ghana’s mineral sector.
According to the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, the Minister stressed the importance of aligning financing, infrastructure, and policy frameworks to maximise value derived from the nation’s mineral resources.
The meeting addressed broader continental cooperation beyond national interests. Buah proposed hosting a ministerial convening in Ghana to bring together African ministers, development finance institutions, and key stakeholders.
The proposed forum aims to harmonise policies, enhance cross border collaboration, and formulate a united African strategy for mineral development that mobilises capital and develops integrated sustainable mineral value chains.
AFC is a pan African multilateral development finance institution established in 2007 to drive infrastructure and industrial development across Africa. The corporation has invested over 13 billion dollars in projects across 35 African countries.
The engagement reflects growing recognition of Africa’s vast mineral endowment and the need for coordinated approaches to unlock its full potential, particularly as the continent seeks to capture more value from natural resources.
Africa currently attracts a small share of global mining and energy transition financing, a gap that governments are seeking to narrow through partnerships with institutions such as AFC.
The Investing in Africa Mining Indaba 2026 is taking place from February 9 to 12, 2026 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre under the theme “Stronger together: Progress through partnerships”.
Ghana’s industrialisation agenda requires closer alignment between financing, infrastructure development, and regulatory policy to maximise returns from its mineral endowment, according to the Ministry.
The proposed ministerial forum would support the build out of integrated mineral value chains by bringing together African governments, development finance institutions, and industry partners.
Buah highlighted that Ghana aims to position itself as a hub for sustainable mineral development and a leading force in shaping Africa’s mining future through alignment of investment, industrialisation, and regional policies.
The Minister, a five term Member of Parliament for the Ellembelle Constituency in the Western Region, served as Minister for Energy and Petroleum from 2013 to 2017, overseeing major oil and gas projects including the Sankofa Gye Nyame and TEN oil fields.
Ghana produces gold, bauxite, manganese, and diamonds among other minerals, with gold remaining the country’s leading mineral export, generating approximately 6.2 billion dollars in export earnings in 2023.
The government has prioritised value addition in the mining sector to capture downstream benefits rather than exporting raw minerals, with recent initiatives including the establishment of the Ghana Gold Board to regulate and purchase gold from small scale miners.
