African ministers, development institutions and private-sector leaders have called for the continent’s vast critical mineral resources to become a catalyst for industrialisation, economic transformation and job creation rather than continuing to fuel the export of raw materials.

The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) are moving to expand their long-standing partnership, with both organisations agreeing to shift from broad cooperation agreements towards the joint delivery of large-scale development and resilience programmes across Africa.