UNECA proposes ASM mining hub to fast-track Africa's mining growth agenda

Africa’s artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector has a critical socioeconomic footprint, can be a vital private sector player, and offers an “immense opportunity” during the global energy transition, said policy and economic experts, as a regional ASM processing hub was proposed during last week’s Mining in Motion 2026.

"The ASM sector must no longer be conflated with illegality — a narrative that fuels social injustice,” said Dennis Gyeyir, Program Manager, Resources Futures in Africa at Open Society Foundations (OSF). “Viewed as a vital private sector player, ASM has the power to stabilize economies, finance infrastructure, secure feedstock for regional industrialization, and create sustainable jobs across Africa."

While large-scale mining employs around seven million people in industrial, mechanised, and corporate mining operations worldwide, the ASM sector is estimated to employ 40-45 million and supports more than 225 million livelihoods, predominantly across Africa. In key nations like the Democratic Republic of Congo, small-scale miners account for nearly 90% of critical mineral production.

Ngone Diop, Director of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) Sub-Regional Office for West Africa announced the proposed ASM hub initiative at Mining in Motion 2026 last Wednesday, emphasising how the proposed hub, which would connect technical assistance and capacity building with downstream processing, aligns directly with the African Mining Vision (AMV), and leverages the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to build integrated regional markets.

“Driven by the energy transition, global demand for cobalt and lithium is projected to triple by 2050, offering a unique opportunity to transform Africa’s economic landscape,” she stated. “Our ambition must extend to building viable businesses that add value to our resources right here on the continent.”

Gyeyir praised the proposed ASM regional hub as a transformative tool for economic justice, noting that it directly confronts historical exploitation within the mining sector.

"The regional processing hub is an effective mechanism to dismantle the colonial legacy of foreign extraction that yields minimal benefits for local communities,” he added. “It places a direct responsibility on us to address systemic social inequities.”