Can Africa Attract Mining Investment Amid Resource Nationalism? © 2026 The World Bank Group,

© 2026 The World Bank Group, Metals and Minerals are the foundation of modern economies and are crucial to everyday life. From smartphones to electric vehicles, urban infrastructure, and fertilizers, they are the essential components in technologies and economic sectors we rely on. In many countries, the mining sector drives growth by generating exports and government revenues, creating jobs, and supporting local businesses and infrastructure development. Demand for key minerals, such as copper, lithium, graphite, nickel, and rare earth elements, is expected to nearly double by 2040. Meeting this surging demand will require over $500 billion in new mining investment by 2040 and $1.7 trillion across mining, processing, and infrastructure by 2050. This creates a historic opportunity for developing countries to engage in the minerals and metals sector, diversify their economies, and increase their participation in global supply chains. Expanding from primarily extracting raw materials to processing, refining, and manufacturing means more of the value and jobs created by minerals stay local. https://www.worldbank.org/ext/en/topic/metals-and-minerals Metals and Minerals