The African Minerals Development Centre (AMDC) held a strategic institutional Partners’ retreat on 27th and 28th July 2022, at the African Union Commission Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The strategic partners’ consultative retreat on AMDC’s theory of change was inclusive of an overview of the new AMDC’s operational metrics alongside the current and rapidly evolving minerals management and development landscape on the continent.

Opening remarks by His Excellency Albert Muchanga, the African Union Commissioner on Economic Development, Trade, Tourism, Industry and Minerals (ETTIM) began by describing the milestone memory lane trek since the launch of the first phase AMDC in 2013 to date as a response to the question of where AMDC has come from in its mandate to become the facilitator of choice to enable AU Member States realise the Africa Mining Vision.  Against that backdrop, the Commissioner envisaged the retreat would come up with a roadmap towards AMDC becoming a dynamic organisation capable of meeting the sustainable development needs of Africans courtesy of the minerals sector.

Ambassador Muchanga further highlighted that despite the enormous potential of the minerals industry, Africa still has a disproportionate dependence on extractives’ exports and the AMDC’s strategic purpose is to counter that vulnerability which exposes the continent to the boom and bust cycles associated with commodity cycles as well as illicit financial flows.

In concluding his remarks, the Commissioner urged the strategic partners, of which he hoped in future will have all the African Union Regional Economic Communities(RECs) represented in addition to the Africa Finance Corporation as well as the Africa Trade Insurance Agency,  to work in conjunction with the mandate of the AMDC Interim Secretariat that is comprised of the Interim Director, Senior Advisor on Geological and Minerals Information Systems, Program Officer, Administrative and Finance officer and the yet to be on-boarded Senior Advisor on Policy and Mineral resources governance. Upon presentation of the AMDC’s results framework centred around several goals, presentations were made by the strategic partners on their work and how they would collaborate on the Centre’s goals amongst which are to ensure:  That Member State policies are consistent with the principles of the Africa Mining Vision (AMV), including governance and participation in the minerals sector; Minerals contribute as a driver for industrialisation, facilitated by intra-African trade; Enhancing geological and mineral knowledge and information systems for development; Modernising Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM) and ensuring the sector is fully integrated into the formal national and regional economies; Sustaining and integrating the management of Africa’s mineral and energy resources, business process innovation and efficient capital resources allocation whilst encompassing robust follow-up, coordination, reporting, knowledge management and capacity building and/or strengthening.

AMDC’s Interim Director, Dr. Marit Kitaw, emphasized that the AMDC relies on leveraging the comparative advantages, expertise, and knowledge of its strategic partners to coordinate and oversee the implementation of the Africa Mining Vision, its Action plan and other existing developmental frameworks to enable the mineral resources sector plays its role in the social and economic transformation, inclusive growth and sustainable development of African economies. The strategic partners with representation were; African Union Commission (AUC); African Development Bank(AfDB); Afreximbank; African Legal Support Facility (ALSF); United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA); United Nations Development Program (UNDP); African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD); Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA); Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) and Economic Community for Central African States (ECCAS).

Note to the editor:

The Statute establishing the African Minerals Development Centre (AMDC) was adopted by the Twenty-Sixth Ordinary Session of the African Union Assembly in January 2016 (Assembly/AU/Dec.589(XX VI)). As of July 2022, three Member States (Guinea, Mali and Zambia), had ratified the Statute and eight member states have signed, include Chad, Comoros, Ghana, Mauritania, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Sierra Leone, Sudan, and Togo. The Assembly further urged the AU Member States to expedite the ratifications of its Statute. A minimum of fifteen (15) ratifications are required for entry into force of the Statute and full operationalization of the Centre.

For further information, contact:

Mr. Mkhululi Ncube | Program Officer | African Minerals Development Centre| Department of Economic Development, Trade, Tourism, Industry, and Minerals |  African Union Commission I E-mail: 
Mkhululin@africa-union.org | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Ms. Meaza Tezera, Department of Economic Development, Trade, Tourism, Industry, and Minerals |  African Union Commission I E-mail: Meazat@africa-union.org | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

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