Global demand for minerals could double by 2040. To meet it, the World Bank wants to increase its support for the sector and mobilise more private capital.
Support multiplied by five
According to the institution, this increase would require nearly $500 billion in additional investment, notably to meet the needs of the energy transition and the digital economy.
The World Bank intends to raise its support for metals and minerals to $19 billion over fiscal years 2026 to 2030, compared with $3.6 billion mobilised between 2021 and 2025. This amount combines its own financing and the private capital it plans to mobilise. It is therefore neither an annual envelope nor funds already allocated to each country.
On 16 October in Bangkok, eight countries launched partnerships with the institution. Four are African: Egypt, Malawi, Mauritania and Zambia. Argentina, Bolivia, India and Kazakhstan complete this first list.
From extraction to value addition
The agreements provide for mining framework reforms, improved geological data, the development of energy and transport infrastructure, and workforce training. They aim to strengthen local suppliers and processing.
The ambition is to move beyond exporting raw ores and retain more value added in producing economies. In Zambia, the partnership notably focuses on copper production, infrastructure and local processing activities.
The DRC faces the industrial challenge
A major player in copper and cobalt, the Democratic Republic of Congo is affected by this new orientation of mining finance. It is not among the first eight signatory countries. The World Bank has nevertheless identified twenty countries as potential partners, beyond this first wave.
For Kinshasa, the stakes go beyond access to financing: it is a matter of bringing together the conditions for mining industrialisation, notably reliable energy, efficient transport corridors, technical skills and transparent governance. Without these levers, the surge in global demand risks benefiting mainly value chains established abroad.
Local processing and job creation will determine the benefits of this dynamic.
Héritier Maila
About The Author
Commentaires