By Palma Ileye
Executive Director of Women in Mining Africa (WiM-Africa), Dr. Comfort Asokoro-Ogaji, has called on African countries to strengthen their mineral market intelligence, processing capacity, financial systems and regional cooperation to enable the continent gain greater influence over the pricing of its mineral resources.
Asokoro-Ogaji said Africa’s possession of strategic mineral resources, including copper, cobalt, lithium, manganese, platinum-group metals and gold, would not automatically translate into market influence without deliberate efforts to strengthen its participation in global minerals trading and pricing structures.
She made the call while contributing an African perspective at a roundtable discussion on Eastern Pricing 2.0: Integrating Futures, Physical Markets, Industry and Finance for the Next Stage of Global Metals Pricing, at the Shanghai Metals Expo 2026.
She questioned the extent of Africa’s influence over the systems that determine the value of its mineral resources, noting that the continent remained a major supplier of critical minerals but often had limited access to the information, processing capacity, financial instruments and commercial networks that influence market prices.
According to her, Africa must move beyond being a passive supplier in the global minerals economy and develop the capacity to participate meaningfully in the institutions and markets where mineral values are determined.
She, however, noted that pricing power could not be achieved through declarations alone, explaining that international mineral prices were influenced by supply, demand, quality, inventories, financial conditions, risks and market expectations.
She said African countries must instead strengthen their bargaining positions, improve product quality, address information gaps and participate more effectively in the commercial structures through which minerals are traded.
Using copper concentrate as an example, the WiM-Africa executive director explained that the value received by producers depended not only on international benchmarks but also on mineral grade, moisture content, payable metal, treatment and refining charges, impurities, transportation costs and contract terms.
She said the absence of reliable laboratory testing, transparent market information, adequate financing and access to credible buyers could leave African producers receiving less value for their mineral resources.
To address the challenges, Asokoro-Ogaji identified five priorities that African countries must pursue to strengthen their position in the global metals market.
She listed them as improved mineral market intelligence, investment in mineral testing and standardisation, expansion of beneficiation and processing capacity, stronger connections between producers and commodity markets and finance, as well as inclusive participation in the mineral value chain.
On mineral market intelligence, she said African producers needed access to credible and timely information on mineral production, grades, prices, buyers, processing capacity and trading conditions to enable them negotiate better deals.
She also stressed the importance of reliable mineral testing, independent certification, traceability and consistent quality specifications, noting that producers must understand the quality and composition of their resources before negotiating their market value.
On beneficiation and processing, she urged African countries to gradually move away from exporting predominantly unprocessed minerals towards supplying products that meet higher industrial specifications.
She added that regional collaboration was necessary because not every mineral-producing country had the capacity to establish processing facilities independently.
The WiM-Africa Executive Director further called for stronger connections between African mineral producers, commodity markets and financial institutions, stressing the need for working capital, trade finance, secure payment systems, risk-management instruments and credible offtake agreements.
Speaking on inclusive participation, Asokoro-Ogaji said women must be adequately represented in the entire mineral value chain, particularly in market development, processing, trading, financing and industrial opportunities.
She observed that although women across Africa participated in mining, mineral trading, processing, cooperatives and mining-related services, many continued to face difficulties accessing finance, equipment, reliable market information, technical expertise and formal supply chains.
She questioned whether women-led mining enterprises and cooperatives could access reliable assay services, obtain transparent international price information, aggregate production to meet industrial buyers’ requirements and secure financing and legitimate offtakers.
According to her, addressing these challenges goes beyond gender representation, describing it as a matter of economic participation, competitiveness and market development.
She said WiM-Africa valued its strategic partnership with Shanghai Metals Market, adding that the organisation was working to promote practical connections between African women-led enterprises and technologies, market intelligence, industrial networks, research institutions and commercial opportunities.
Asokoro-Ogaji described Eastern Pricing 2.0 as an opportunity to deepen relationships between African mineral-producing economies and China’s industrial, financial and trading systems.
She called for partnerships that would extend beyond mineral purchases to include joint initiatives in mineral market intelligence, laboratory development, processing technology, professional training, responsible sourcing, investment readiness and direct relationships with buyers.
She noted that Chinese companies possessed extensive industrial expertise, processing capacity and access to major metals markets, while African countries offered mineral resources, developing industrial markets, investment opportunities and a growing generation of entrepreneurs.
The WiM-Africa Chief maintained that Africa was not seeking to replace established international benchmarks with arbitrary national prices but wanted to develop the capabilities required for its producers to understand market benchmarks, negotiate from stronger positions and retain a greater share of the economic value generated from their resources.
She said the future of metals pricing should not be viewed solely as competition between established Western benchmarks and emerging Eastern pricing centres but as an opportunity to develop more transparent, internationally connected and inclusive mineral markets.
According to her, Africa must strengthen its institutions, processing industries, market intelligence and financial and commercial capabilities to achieve meaningful participation in the global minerals economy.
“Having minerals is not the same as having pricing power, and mineral wealth alone does not guarantee industrial prosperity,” she said.
She added that Africa’s priority should be to translate its mineral resources into stronger institutions, competitive businesses, industrial development and sustainable economic opportunities.
“Africa has mineral power. It is time we built the market power to match it,” she said.
