CAPE TOWN, South Africa, March 27, 2026/APO Group/ –African bauxite producers are rapidly moving beyond commodity exports, investing in alumina refineries that convert raw ore into high-value products. While Africa holds nearly 30% of global bauxite reserves, it currently contributes less than 1% of alumina production – a gap that underscores both the continent’s industrial potential and a lucrative investment frontier. With the global alumina market projected to grow to $67 billion by 2032, Africa’s downstream sector is emerging as a strategic hub for long-term growth and local value creation.

 

African Mining Week 2026 (October 14–16, Cape Town) will serve as the key platform connecting investors, project developers and government regulators with these emerging opportunities. A dedicated panel on “Unlocking Refining Investments” will focus on strategies to scale refinery projects, address operational challenges and maximize local economic impact across the continent’s bauxite value chain.

Nigeria Leads With Gas-Powered Refining

Nigeria is fast-tracking its first large-scale alumina refinery, securing $1.3 billion in financing from the Africa Finance Corporation and the Solid Minerals Development Fund to support a one million-ton-per-annum facility. Expected to produce 19 million tons of alumina over 20 years, the refinery is projected to generate $1.2 billion in annual GDP contributions while advancing the government’s goal of growing mining’s economic contribution from 1% to 10%. Powered largely by local gas, the project aligns with Nigeria’s Decade of Gas initiative, combining energy security with industrialization and local beneficiation.

Speaking in February, Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals, Henry Alake, stated: “We don’t want corridors exporting internationally; we want factories across borders to create jobs and generate value locally.”

Guinea and Ghana Scale Up Refining Capacity

Guinea is pursuing six alumina refineries by 2030, aiming for 7 million tons per year. Deals are in place with China’s State Power Investment Corporation, Chinalco and France’s Alteo and Alcoa. Construction is underway on the first facility in Boké, a $1.2 billion, 1.2 million-ton-per-annum refinery led by the Winning Consortium Alumina Guinea.

Ghana targets 4–6 million tons of annual alumina refining capacity through partnerships with Greek industrial group Mytilineos SA, enhancing local beneficiation of bauxite resources. Meanwhile, Australian company Canyon Resources is advancing a feasibility study for a refinery at its Minim Martap project in Cameroon, with results expected by Q3 2026.

Implications for Investors

These projects illustrate a broader push to capture downstream value in Africa’s mining sector. Alumina refineries not only increase export revenue but also generate high-skilled jobs, stimulate local supply chains and attract international investment. By linking energy infrastructure, industrial policy and mineral beneficiation, these facilities can transform bauxite-rich countries into regional manufacturing hubs.

African Mining Week 2026 will bring stakeholders together to accelerate deal-making, form partnerships and discuss operational strategies for refinery deployment. With governments and developers focused on turning reserves into industrial value, alumina refining is positioned as one of the continent’s most tangible opportunities for economic transformation and strategic investment.

 

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, March 27, 2026/APO Group/ –Africa continues to face significant implications from the ongoing Gulf war, with Brent prices fluctuating from $81 per barrel on March 3 to $112 on March 12 and back down to $98 on March 25. But escalating crude prices bring challenges beyond imports, with African economies which rely heavily on diesel-fired power generation now faced with both unreliable supplies and heightened fuel costs. This challenge is most felt by small to medium-sized enterprises (SME), which now face a punishing rise in power costs at a time when margins are already under pressure.

 

In this environment, coal-fired power generation deserves renewed attention. With reserves estimated in the hundreds of billions of tons, Africa’s coal market stands to offer the fiscal relief many African SMEs require. As geopolitical tensions continue to mount across the Gulf and prices face even greater fluctuation in the near-term, the question is no longer whether coal-fired power generation is politically fashionable, but how African economies can utilize the resource to stabilize power costs, preserve foreign exchange and support business continuity.

Escalating Fuel Prices Pose Significant Challenge for African SMEs

Prices at the pump have escalated in recent weeks, leaving diesel-reliant businesses faced with even greater fiscal pressure. This comes as diesel generation has become a default for many SMEs operating across Africa, owing to unreliable grid infrastructure. Even the continent’s biggest economy South Africa has seen businesses move to diesel as constrained grid capacity and loadshedding impacts power access. Supply disruption at the Strait of Hormuz and escalating crude prices have placed further strain on the fuels so many African SMEs rely on.

Nigerian fuel prices have reached upwards of ₦1,000 per liter in March 2026, due to price hikes by the Dangote Refinery and fluctuations in international markets. This represents a 39.5% increase since February, the second highest increase globally. Zimbabwean fuel prices have surged to record highs, with diesel averaging $2.18 per liter and petrol also exceeding $2 per liter. The country currently features the highest fuel prices across all SADC nations. Botswana also faces potential fuel price increases, while Ugandan fuel prices continue to experience volatility, with prices varying by location and supplier.

Why Coal Matters for SME Competitiveness

Coal offers the lifeline so many African SMEs need. Countries such as Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Uganda all possess significant coal reserves and the shift to coal-fired power generation can not only help reduce the dependence on imported fuels but create a more predictable electricity cost structure for local businesses. Nigeria holds 9.8 billion cubic meters (bcm) of coal reserves, Zimbabwe is home to 502 million cubic meters (mcm), Botswana has 1.6 bcm and Uganda possesses 800 mcm.

For African SMEs, affordable and reliable electricity is often the difference between expansion and stagnation. Coal-fired power can offer a lower-cost alternative that supports manufacturing and commercial growth. It also opens the door to more bankable long-term planning, while offering stability during times of global supply shocks. With many African countries already integrating coal within their broader energy systems, scaling up generation and distribution could directly impact sovereign resilience.

“When African businesses are being crushed by imported fuel costs, using domestic coal to keep factories running and SMEs alive is not a step backward – it is a rational act of economic self-defense,” states NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, African Energy Chamber.

AEW 2026 Puts Coal Back into the Conversation

This is precisely why African Energy Week (AEW): Invest in African Energies 2026 remains such an important platform. Over the past several years, the event has hosted discussions around coal, including the application of clean coal technologies and the role of coal in broader power generation strategies. At a time when energy security, industrialization and affordability are moving back to the center of policymaking, those conversations are becoming more urgent.

Rather than approaching coal through an ideological lens, AEW 2026 provides a venue to examine where and how it can fit into Africa’s power mix in practical terms. That includes discussions around cleaner technologies, efficiency gains, financing models and the role coal can play in supporting productive sectors that cannot function on intermittent or high-cost power alone. AEW 2026 returns to Cape Town from October 12-16, 2026.

 

LUANDA, Angola, March 30, 2026/APO Group/ –Estevão Pale, Mozambique’s Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, has joined the upcoming Angola Oil & Gas (AOG) Conference and Exhibition as a speaker. Minister Pale will lead a delegation to the event this September (9-10), strengthening regional cooperation at a time when global demand for LNG is set to rise 54% by 2040. With Mozambique preparing for large-scale LNG production and Angola advancing its gas monetization strategy, AOG 2026 comes at a critical time for coordination, investment and knowledge-sharing between the two countries.

His participation comes as several large-scale LNG projects are gaining traction. Following improved security dynamics on the ground, several projects have resumed operations in 2026, with adjusted project timelines seeing Mozambique’s export capacity rising significantly by the early 2030s. These include the $20 billion TotalEnergies-led Mozambique LNG project, set to begin exports in 2029 with a capacity of 13 million tons per annum (mtpa), and the ExxonMobil-led Rovuma LNG project (18 mtpa), targeting FID in 2026 and a 2030 production start. The Eni-led Coral Norte FLNG project (3.2 mtpa) reached FID in 2025, with production on track for a 2028 start. Eni has been operating the Coral Sul FLNG project since 2022, with the addition of Coral Norte increasing Area 4 production to 7 mtpa. With project timelines extending toward the latter part of the decade, Mozambique is now firmly in the project execution and financing phase, making investment stability, infrastructure development and export strategy key priorities for the government.

Angola’s gas strategy is developing in parallel, creating strong potential for collaboration between the two countries. Operational since 2013, Angola LNG continues to anchor the country’s gas monetization, producing 4.2 million barrels of oil equivalent in February 2026. The facility is set to receive a major feedstock boost following first gas delivery at the Quiluma field in March 2026 – part of the New Gas Consortium-led non-associated gas project. Recent discoveries such as the Gajajeira-01 well at Block 1/14 – Angola’s first dedicated gas discovery – are reinforcing Angola’s long-term gas potential, paving the way for greater LNG exports.

As the country works toward increasing the penetration of gas to 25% of its energy mix in the near-term, Angola’s gas pivot offers vital lessons for Mozambique. As a long-time LNG producer, Angola’s experience in LNG operations, gas monetization and export logistics prove especially valuable, particularly as both countries look to position themselves as reliable LNG suppliers to global markets. AOG 2026 will serve as a launchpad for bilateral collaboration, facilitating greater engagement between Angolan and Mozambique entities.

Collaboration goes beyond projects, with Angola’s regulatory and fiscal experience providing strategic lessons for Mozambique as it looks to sustain investment momentum. Angola’s ability to consistently attract foreign capital and incentivize new players to the market is largely accredited to its multi-year licensing strategy – launched in 2019 with 64 blocks negotiated – as well as supportive policy environment. This includes regulations such as the Gas Master Plan and incremental production decree, launched in 2025 and 2024 respectively. As Mozambique prepares for the next phase of its LNG developments, lessons learnt from Angola’s policy environment could help the country strengthen its competitiveness for foreign capital.

AOG 2026 provides a platform for these types of discussions. Over the years, the event has increasingly become a meeting point not only for Angola’s oil and gas industry, but for regional cooperation across Africa’s energy markets. With Minister Pale leading a delegation to the event, AOG 2026 is expected to play an important role in advancing dialogue around LNG development, gas monetization, investment frameworks and regional cooperation. At a time when African gas is becoming more important to global energy security, closer collaboration between Angola and Mozambique could help position both countries as key players in the global LNG market.