Central and East Africa’s Mining Sector Moves Towards Greater Beneficiation

[SMM Express] Mining sectors across Central and East Africa are facing a changing operating environment as governments increase focus on resource nationalism, local content requirements and domestic mineral processing.

Countries across the region are seeking to capture more value from their mineral resources by encouraging in-country beneficiation and strengthening state participation. Policies in Tanzania, Mozambique, Zambia and Ethiopia highlight a broader shift away from exporting raw materials towards developing local processing capacity.

The region remains critical to global mineral supply chains, with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) dominating cobalt exports, the Central African Copperbelt supporting major copper production and significant deposits of lithium, tantalum, niobium, tungsten and graphite found across several countries.

However, mining investment continues to face challenges including security risks, regulatory uncertainty, infrastructure limitations and operational constraints. Several countries are also expanding strategic mineral classifications, which could lead to tighter export controls, increased royalties and greater government involvement.