The Equity in Extraction Conference 2025 is currently underway, bringing together researchers, policymakers, civil society leaders, activists, and labor groups from across Africa and beyond to discuss how the continent can better manage its vast natural resources in a fair, sustainable, and climate-conscious way.
West Africa is richly endowed with critical minerals—such as cobalt, nickel, and lithium—that are essential for global technological progress and the clean energy transition. Yet, the governance of these resources continues to mirror deep-rooted inequalities, leaving many communities burdened by environmental degradation and limited economic benefit.
At the heart of the discussions is the growing recognition that resource extraction, climate change, and inequality are deeply interconnected. While mineral wealth has the potential to drive growth and development, poor governance, unfair labor practices, and unequal benefit-sharing have too often left local populations behind.
This week’s conference builds on the outcomes of the 2022 High-Level Conference on Natural Resource Governance and Inequality, held in Accra with support from the Ford Foundation. That event highlighted the urgent need for more inclusive and climate-aware approaches to natural resource management across the continent.
As global demand for electric vehicles, solar panels, and other clean energy technologies accelerates, the pressure to extract critical minerals in Africa continues to rise. Experts at the conference are warning that unless extraction is governed equitably and sustainably, the environmental and social costs could outweigh the gains.
Over the three-day event, participants are engaging in discussions and strategy sessions focused on:
- Strengthening inclusive governance of critical minerals;
- Addressing the social and environmental costs of extraction;
- Promoting fair labor practices and community benefit-sharing; and
- Advancing climate resilience and justice in natural resource management.
The Equity in Extraction Conference 2025 is emerging as a vital platform for rethinking how Africa’s natural wealth can be harnessed for shared prosperity—placing fairness, sustainability, and sovereignty at the center of the continent’s development agenda.
