Africa is rich in natural resources. Now, countries across the continent are taking a bigger step: keeping more of that wealth at home by processing what they produce.
From cocoa and coffee to gold, lithium, oil, gas and critical minerals, Africa possesses many of the resources driving the global economy.
But having resources is not the same as creating prosperity.
For decades, many African economies have exported raw materials while importing finished products made from them. This means jobs, technology and much of the higher value created along the supply chain are often captured outside the continent.
That model is beginning to change.
Ghana, Africa’s leading gold producer, has started local gold refining under a new agreement between the Ghana Gold Board and Gold Coast Refinery. The refinery began processing one tonne of gold per week in February 2026, with Ghana holding a 15% free carried interest in the refinery. The first locally refined gold has already been produced, creating about 162 additional jobs.
Ghana is also targeting at least 50% local processing of cocoa beans from the 2026/27 season, moving further from dependence on raw bean exports.
Elsewhere, Zimbabwe has taken an even harder position on lithium. After banning raw lithium ore exports in 2022, the country plans to ban lithium concentrate exports from 2027 as domestic processing capacity expands. A $400 million lithium sulphate plant is already being developed.
Guinea has also banned raw gold exports and is developing a $30 million refinery designed initially to process 530 tonnes of gold annually, with plans to increase capacity to 733 tonnes.
In the Sahel, Mali and Burkina Faso are also pushing for greater domestic control and processing of gold, reflecting a wider regional shift toward resource value addition. Mali is building a refinery with a 200-tonne annual capacity, while Burkina Faso has tightened controls over gold exports.
These countries are sending a clear message:
Africa does not simply want to extract its wealth. It wants to create more wealth from what it extracts.
This is central to Agenda 2063 Moonshot 1: building a prosperous Africa through productive economies, industrialisation, jobs and inclusive growth.
The real opportunity is not just exporting more resources.
It is building the factories, refineries, businesses, skills and African industries around them.
Africa has the resources.
Now it is building the capacity to turn natural wealth into African prosperity.