By Stella Odueme
Women in Mining lAfrica (WiM-Africa) has called for stronger African participation in global mineral pricing, processing, market intelligence and value creation as the international minerals economy undergoes significant transformation.
The Executive Director of WiM-Africa, Dr. Comfort Asokoro-Ogaji, is expected to advance the African perspective when she participates as a roundtable speaker at the Shanghai Metals Expo 2026 in China in November.
The roundtable, convened by Shanghai Metals Market (SMM), will focus on the theme, “Eastern Pricing 2.0: Integrating Futures, Physical Markets, Industry and Finance for the Next Stage of Global Metals Pricing.”
The forum is expected to examine the changing structure of global metals markets and the emergence of new centres of trading, processing, manufacturing and price discovery.
For Africa, Asokoro-Ogaji said the development presents an opportunity for the continent to reassess its position in the global minerals value chain and strengthen its influence over how its mineral resources are valued.
“Africa cannot build pricing power simply by having minerals beneath its soil. We must put our African mineral ecosystem together — our producers, geological and market data, processing capacity, standards, laboratories, commodity exchanges, financial institutions and regional value chains — if we want to become more relevant in the markets where value is determined,” she said.
She noted that the issue has become increasingly important amid growing global demand and competition for copper, lithium, cobalt, nickel, rare earths and other critical minerals needed for industrialisation and the energy transition.
According to WiM-Africa, Africa's response should go beyond securing improved terms for the export of raw minerals to include greater investment in beneficiation and processing, reliable geological and market data, aggregation, traceability, certification and access to finance.
The organisation also stressed the need for stronger regional trading systems, improved market intelligence and direct relationships between African producers and international buyers.
A key issue expected to feature in Asokoro-Ogaji's intervention in Shanghai is how emerging global pricing systems can establish stronger links with mineral-producing countries and communities, particularly in Africa.
WiM-Africa said the debate should not be limited to whether price discovery is shifting from established Western markets towards emerging Eastern markets, but should also consider how the evolving global pricing architecture can accommodate African production, value addition and market participation.
The organisation further highlighted the importance of market access for women and smaller-scale producers, noting that access to credible prices, mineral testing, product specifications, market information, traceability systems and direct buyer relationships can determine whether producers remain at the mine-gate level or participate in higher-value segments of the mineral economy.
WiM-Africa is advocating broader continental dialogue involving governments, mining companies, commodity exchanges, financial institutions, laboratories, geological institutions, processors, traders, research organisations, women-led enterprises and regional bodies.
The organisation said Africa needs to develop the institutions and infrastructure required not only to extract minerals, but also to understand, process, trade and influence their value.
Asokoro-Ogaji's participation at the Shanghai Metals Expo follows expanded strategic cooperation between WiM-Africa and Shanghai Metals Market, providing a platform for Africa-China engagement in mining, metals, battery minerals, market connectivity, knowledge exchange, technology and industry development.
WiM-Africa said it would continue to advocate for an Africa that participates across the entire mineral value chain, from data and extraction to processing, finance, trading and value creation.
The organisation maintained that while Africa possesses significant mineral resources, the continent's next challenge is to build the market architecture and industrial capacity required to convert that resource wealth into greater economic and pricing influence.