South African Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources Gwede Mantashe called on the 54 African nations to 'speak with one voice' when negotiating with the European Union, noting that continental unity is not merely a slogan but a 'strategic imperative'.

Mantashe was speaking at the Africa Mining Indaba conference in Cape Town on Monday.

"To us, this is not merely a slogan; it is a strategic imperative for Africa to act collectively, speak with one voice, and avoid a destructive race to the bottom in our engagement with global powers and investors. Let's not allow a situation where, when we talk with our colleagues from Europe, we talk to them as the EU while we talk to them as 54 individual countries; we are much weaker that way. My background is in the trade union movement. I know that when you are a worker alone, you are weaker against the employer. But once you form a union, it grants you the collective power to engage the employer." 

Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema also highlighted the central role of the mining sector in driving economic growth across Africa, noting that industrialisation and the 'value addition' of raw materials within the continent are key components of success.

"It doesn't need extra intelligence to understand that Africa needs to grow, and for us to grow, the mining sector sits at the centre of this. Value addition is a key component, as my brother was saying. We are going to do this across the continent – not waiting in a sequential way, but in a simultaneous way. I believe in that. We need larger quantities of capital; as I said, a fair price of capital. That will allow us to grow in a manner that is sustainable, and it profits everybody when we do it that way."

The Mining Indaba conference is taking place on February 9-12 under the theme 'Stronger Together: Progress Through Partnerships'.

This year's summit focuses on essential minerals critical for the global green energy transition, such as copper, lithium, and cobalt, as Africa seeks to position itself as a central hub in the global supply chain.