Egypt’s Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Karim Badawi called for stronger cooperation between governments and investors to develop integrated mineral value chains across Africa and attract long-term mining investment.

Badawi made the remarks during a high-level roundtable of African and Arab ministers and executives titled “From Exploration to Markets: Strengthening Mineral Value Chains in Africa,” held ahead of Egypt Mining Forum 2026.

He said attracting major international companies to exploration, production and long-term project development remains central to Egypt’s mining strategy. He added that developing mineral resources requires infrastructure, including roads, ports, communications, electricity and energy, to move beyond raw mineral extraction toward processing and manufacturing.

Tanzanian Minerals Minister Anthony Mavunde said Tanzania aims to increase high-resolution geological and geophysical surveying from 16% currently to 100% by 2030. The move would provide better data and reduce exploration risks for critical minerals such as nickel, graphite and rare earth elements.

Kenya’s Minister of Mining and Blue Economy Hassan Ali Joho called for greater alignment of mining policies across Africa, while AMSG Secretary-General Moses Michael Engadu said mineral discoveries are only the starting point and that governments must connect geological data, infrastructure, energy, technology and finance to develop viable projects.

Doug Horak, CEO of Australia Africa Minerals and Energy Group, highlighted funding challenges facing early-stage exploration companies, while Huda Mansour, Chairperson of AngloGold Ashanti Egypt, stressed the importance of making geological data accessible to investors.

The discussions come as Egypt prepares to host the fifth Egypt Mining Forum on September 28-29. In early September, organizers said more than 6,000 participants from over 50 countries were expected to attend, alongside more than 500 delegates, 100 speakers and 100 exhibiting companies.