{"id":23531,"date":"2026-02-09T18:29:06","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T16:29:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jhb-webdevelopers\/channelafrica\/news\/no-commodity-should-be-overlooked-in-the-global-race-for-energy-transition-inputs-zambian-president\/"},"modified":"2026-02-27T16:34:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T14:34:19","slug":"no-commodity-should-be-overlooked-in-the-global-race-for-energy-transition-inputs-zambian-president","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/news\/no-commodity-should-be-overlooked-in-the-global-race-for-energy-transition-inputs-zambian-president\/","title":{"rendered":"No commodity should be overlooked in the global race for energy\u2011transition inputs: Zambian President"},"content":{"rendered":"

The gathering, which concludes on Thursday, takes place as demand for energy\u2011transition minerals continues to accelerate worldwide, prompting renewed calls for sustainable extraction, inclusive growth and increased value addition on the African continent.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This year\u2019s discussions centre on how Africa can position itself as a competitive supplier of critical minerals, from copper and cobalt to platinum\u2011group metals and rare earths, while ensuring that the continent moves beyond being merely a source of raw materials.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

SA\u2019s Minister of Mineral Resources and Petroleum, Gwede Mantashe, emphasised the need for coordinated policy approaches across African governments. \u201cWe need to talk about export earnings and their contribution to development on the continent,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Delivering a keynote address, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema underscored the strategic importance of Africa\u2019s mineral wealth, warning that no commodity should be overlooked in the global race for energy\u2011transition inputs.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cEvery metal, every resource is a critical resource,\u201d Hichilema said. \u201cFrom the devices in our hands to the electricity in our homes, minerals are everywhere.\u201d Hichilema praised SA\u2019s leadership in strengthening cross\u2011border cooperation.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThere is individual national interest, that is true. But there is greater strength in collaboration,\u201d he said. Zambia, one of the world\u2019s leading copper producers, has renewed ambitions to expand output as global demand rises.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Speaking on financing challenges in the sector, Helen Lubamba, Head of Corporate and Investment Banking at Standard Bank Zambia, said long\u2011term investment depends heavily on policy stability.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMining is a commodity sector requiring long\u2011term capital, and commodity prices are beyond anyone\u2019s control,\u201d she explained. \u201cWhat you need is a stable investment environment and stable policy, that\u2019s where the real constraint lies.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lubamba added that Africa continues to suffer from what she described as a \u201cperception premium\u201d, the higher cost of capital linked to perceived investment risk on the continent.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThis premium adds significantly to the cost of funding,\u201d she said. \u201cOver the years, Zambia has faced several policy uncertainties affecting the mining investment environment.\u201d Industry leaders say reducing this perception gap will be critical if African economies are to fully benefit from the global minerals boom.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

–ChannelAfrica–<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":20411,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"news-type":[44],"class_list":["post-23531","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-finance","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"The 2026 Mining Indaba has officially opened in Cape Town, South Africa (SA), on Monday, bringing together industry leaders, policymakers and global investors at a pivotal moment for Africa\u2019s mineral\u2011driven development agenda. ","published_date":null,"news_description":"The 2026 Mining Indaba has officially opened in Cape Town, South Africa (SA), on Monday, bringing together industry leaders, policymakers and global investors at a pivotal moment for Africa\u2019s mineral\u2011driven development agenda. ","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/23531","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/23531\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26468,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/23531\/revisions\/26468"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20411"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23531"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=23531"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}