East African Mining News Unearthing Mining Opportunities in East Africa
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The push to keep more mineral wealth within national borders is gathering momentum across Africa, with Kenya moving to end the export of unprocessed minerals as governments seek greater economic returns from resources extracted on their soil. President William Ruto has announced measures requiring minerals extracted in Kenya to be processed locally before export, with the government planning to work with investors to establish the processing capacity needed to support the policy. Immediate priorities include gold refineries, as well as an oil refinery and petrochemical complex.
The move follows Kenya’s suspension of mining operations by Tata Chemicals Magadi Limited (TCML) on 28 July 2026. Authorities ordered the company to leave after raising concerns that its operations had delivered insufficient benefits to the country. Ruto has also noted that TCML has been exporting soda ash rather than processing the mineral locally. Gold, limestone, iron ore, graphite, titanium and soda ash have been identified as key minerals under the new policy, reflecting a broader effort to move beyond raw material exports towards domestic processing, employment and industrial development.
Ruto has framed the shift within a wider economic transformation agenda, pointing to Africa’s young population, renewable energy resources, strategic minerals and expanding consumer markets as factors creating an opportunity to attract investment and manufacturing. “This represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity not only to participate in Africa’s rise but also to lead it,” said Ruto. Kenya’s position mirrors a growing continental push to capture more value from mineral resources before they leave African markets. Ghana has prohibited the export of unrefined gold doré, Guinea has announced a raw gold export ban requiring domestic refining to 99.5% purity, the Democratic Republic of Congo has renewed its cobalt export ban, while Zimbabwe is preparing legislation to halt lithium concentrate exports from January 2027.
The policy shift reflects a deeper concern over Africa’s position in global mineral value chains. While the continent holds significant deposits of critical and strategic minerals, much of the processing and higher-value manufacturing linked to those resources takes place elsewhere. A World Economic Forum report published in late 2025 highlighted the opportunity for Africa, particularly the Southern African Development Community, to benefit from rising global demand for critical minerals. It argued that value-added processing and regional collaboration could enable Southern Africa to capture greater economic value and build resilience across mineral value chains.
Kenya’s policy also brings the longstanding debate over mining benefits into sharper focus. The standoff with Tata Chemicals has centred on beneficiation, community benefits, royalties, land matters and local participation, with Mining Cabinet Secretary Hassan Joho arguing that greater value should remain within the country. “Our minerals are our wealth, and they are supposed to build our economy, industrialise our country and benefit our local communities,” concluded Joho. A technical committee led by Mining Principal Secretary Harry Kimtai and Tata Chemicals Magadi Chief Executive Officer Swaminathan Nagarajan has been established to review outstanding compliance issues, including mineral beneficiation and in-country value addition, community benefits and royalty obligations.
