Kenya has just become the latest African nation to clamp down on raw mineral exports, with President William Ruto declaring that the country will no longer ship unprocessed minerals abroad.
Ruto has announced a set of measures that will ensure all minerals extracted in the country are processed locally before being exported. The move seeks to expand the country’s value from its mineral resources, strengthen domestic processing industries, create more jobs, and grow the country’s economic ambitions.
Ruto notes that the government will work with investors to establish the necessary processing facilities, with immediate plans for gold refineries and an oil refinery and petrochemical complex.
The ban follows Kenya’s suspension of all mining operations by Tata Chemicals Magadi (TCML) on 28 July 2026, with authorities ordering the company to leave after ruling its activities had delivered insufficient benefits to the country.
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Ghana’s Gold Board has prohibited the export of unrefined gold doré, while Guinea has announced a raw gold export ban requiring domestic refining to 99.5% purity. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has renewed its cobalt export ban, and Zimbabwe is preparing legislation to halt lithium concentrate exports from January 2027.
These bans are a key way that Africa can grow its influence within the global metals and minerals economies, as countries shift from being raw material exporters to value creators. As previously reported, Africa stands at a crossroads of economic growth and opportunity, with downstream value-add a key focus in driving this growth.
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A World Economic Forum (WEF) report from late 2025 stated that Africa — and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), in particular — stands to benefit significantly from the rising global demand for critical minerals, with the continent’s rich mineral wealth providing key opportunities.
“Through value-added processing and regional collaboration, Southern Africa can capture greater economic value and build resilience across mineral value chains,” the WEF report states.
The report also notes that in order to unlock that potential, coordinated action across the entire mining value chain is required. Local processing bans have emerged as a critical lever to ensure Africa captures more value from its mineral wealth.
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