Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Karim Badawi, represented Egypt and delivered a keynote address at the opening of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Critical Minerals Forum in Istanbul, Türkiye.

Badawi took part in the high-level ministerial panel discussion held during the opening session, alongside Bandar Alkhorayef, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources; Mike Kopp, Senior Advisor to the US Secretary of Energy; Rohitesh Dhawan, President and CEO of the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM); and the Philippine Undersecretary of Industry.

The event drew a distinguished international audience, including mining ministers, officials from leading international organizations, OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann, and Türkiye’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Alparslan Bayraktar.

In his remarks, Badawi presented Egypt’s ambitious vision for maximizing value creation from the mining sector, emphasizing that the government has placed the industry at the heart of its strategic priorities in the current phase, in recognition of its vast potential and economic significance.

He highlighted the importance of building an integrated ecosystem that unites governments, the private sector, and industry stakeholders to drive the adoption of advanced technologies for optimal resource utilization. Badawi further pointed out the expanding role of modern technologies and artificial intelligence in uncovering untapped resources, improving efficiency, mitigating operational risks, and accelerating exploration and mining activities.

The forum is taking place on April 28-29 to examine how nations can collaborate to build resilient supply chains for critical minerals, while enabling resource‑rich countries to enhance local value creation and diversify their economies.