According to the Member of Parliament for Damongo and former Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, Africa’s mining sector must move beyond a narrow focus on a model of mere extraction to embrace deeper local participation and value addition.
Speaking at a mining breakfast meeting during the Africa Prosperity Dialogues 2026 in Accra, on February 5, 2026, Jinapor warned that, the continent stands at a critical crossroads in how it manages and benefits from its mineral wealth.
He said, mining in many African countries, including Ghana, continues to be marked by limited local participation, weak linkages to domestic economies and inadequate value addition.
“Mining in many African countries, including Ghana, continues to be characterised by limited local participation, weak linkages to domestic economies, and inadequate value addition, As a result, the sector has not delivered the scale of jobs, enterprise development and skills transfer required to drive sustainable development.” He said.
The Member of Parliament for Damongo noted that, although Africa holds a significant share of the minerals essential for global industrialisation and the green energy transition, the benefits often bypass the communities living in resource rich areas.
He stressed that, “For Africa to truly prosper from its mineral wealth, women, youth and small and medium-scale enterprises must be empowered to participate fully in the industry,”
The former Minister for Lands and Natural Resources explained that, participation should encompass access to skills, technology, finance and markets, as well as inclusion in exploration, engineering services, equipment manufacturing, mineral processing, refining, logistics, data services and downstream manufacturing.
The member of parliament also argued that, such a shift is essential if Africa is to translate its mineral endowment into broad-based economic growth and long-term prosperity.
