Rand Refinery’s participation reflects a broader strategic alignment between the company’s expansion agenda and AMW’s focus on supporting and enabling local beneficiation and promoting artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) responsible sourcing frameworks.

In terms of volumes, the latest market information indicates that Africa produces 1000tpa of mined gold (more than any other continent), with large-scale mining (LSM) and ASM being almost evenly balanced (500tpa production each). On its current trajectory, African ASM volumes are expected to eclipse those of LSM.

The focus on ASM as a transformational imperative is valid, and Rand Refinery is an active participant in the precious metals supply chain, working alongside other upstream and downstream actors to ensure that the communities and countries with gold resources benefit in a sustainable manner.

Under the theme Mining the Future: Unearthing Africa’s Full Mineral Value Chain, AMW 2026 offers a critical interface between refiners, miners, regulators, and financial institutions, as African countries intensify efforts to capture more value from responsible mineral production.

A key pillar of Rand Refinery’s 2026 strategy is its expansion into high-growth gold markets beyond South Africa. In January 2026, the company partnered with Ghana’s Gold Coast Refinery (GCR) to support the Ghana Gold Board to locally refine artisanal and small-scale (ASM) gold and elevate responsible sourcing standards in West Africa. The partnership also positions Rand Refinery in a rapidly growing and historically fragmented supply segment: ASM operations, enabling the company to enhance traceability and strengthen compliance with global standards for ethical sourcing and anti-money laundering.

The partnership potentially allows the monetization of ASM supply streams in the formal gold ecosystem, complementing Rand Refinery’s established role in refining output from responsible large-scale producers. AMW 2026 represents a timely platform for the company to provide an update on its projects and contribution to Africa’s gold sector.

As demand for regional refining capacity expands, along with central bank buying programs, companies such as Rand Refinery will be crucial.

Central bank gold purchases are projected to average around 585 tons per quarter in 2026, underscoring sustained global demand. In Africa, gold now accounts for approximately 17% of total reserves – up from less than 10% in 2022–2023 – while physical holdings increased from 663 tons in 2022 to an estimated 738 tons in 2025.

This upward trajectory is driving demand for trusted refining and value addition services, positioning Rand Refinery as a key partner in the region. Against this backdrop, AMW provides a strategic platform for central banks and gold buyers to engage directly with one of the world’s largest integrated single-site precious metals refining and smelting complexes and strengthen regional beneficiation and national reserve strategies.

At AMW, Rand Refinery executives will participate in panel discussions and networking sessions, engaging stakeholders on partnership opportunities that support a more integrated, transparent and value-driven African gold ecosystem.

A structural shift is underway. Mining services companies are no longer confined to contractor roles – they are evolving into integrated project partners, shaping how mines are financed, engineered, built and operated. Their influence now sits at the intersection of capital markets, infrastructure development, energy systems and industrial policy, positioning them as central players in Africa’s next phase of mining – led growth.

This evolution is already visible in project activity across the continent. In April 2026, Metso inaugurated a new regional hub in Cape Town, strengthening its bulk material handling and services capabilities across Africa. The facility enhances automation, logistics and lifecycle services across key commodity value chains – including coal, platinum group metals and manganese – directly supporting South Africa’s strategy to scale mineral exports and industrial output.

Geopolitics is further amplifying this trend. Major global economies are increasingly leveraging their EPC and mining services companies as strategic tools to secure supply chains and expand influence. Institutions such as the Export-Import Bank of the United States are backing American participation in African mining, while China, Europe, Canada and Australia continue to embed their services companies into financing and development frameworks across the continent.

Australia’s Lycopodium is advancing Namibia’s Twin Hills project, while China’s JCHX Mining Management is supporting copper production at Botswana’s Khoemacau Mine. In Guinea, XCMG Machinery is contributing to development at the Simandou iron ore project – one of the largest untapped deposits globally.

Across key mining jurisdictions, this shift is accelerating project pipelines. Countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Ghana, Liberia and South Africa are increasingly relying on mining services firms to fast-track national geomapping exercises, exploration, scale production and advance beneficiation.

Against this backdrop, AMW will bring together global EPC firms, mining services providers, investors and African developers. The event is set to catalyze partnerships and deal-making, with a focus on strengthening execution capacity, unlocking financing and accelerating the delivery of mining projects that can anchor Africa’s industrial growth and global supply chain integration.

The move reflects a broader trend across Africa’s mineral sector whereby projects are turning to offtake agreements to secure capital and advance production. As Africa accelerates the development of its estimated $8.5 trillion in untapped mineral wealth, offtake agreements are emerging as an effective tool to unlock financing and de-risk projects.

This dual function – market assurance and capital enablement – is increasingly central to Africa’s mining financing landscape. By reducing demand risk, offtake agreements help unlock debt and equity financing that would otherwise be difficult to secure in early-stage or restart projects.

Similar structures are being replicated across the continent. In Sierra Leone, an offtake-backed arrangement involving Trafigura and FG Gold Limited helped unlock financing for the Baomahun Gold Project, marking a critical step in de-risking one of the country’s flagship mining developments and enabling financial close for large-scale gold production.

In the battery minerals space, NextSource Materials extended its offtake agreement in March 2026 with Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation to supply graphite from the Molo project in Madagascar. The arrangement provides predictable long-term demand for 9,000 tons per annum of graphite, while simultaneously supporting project financing and expansion plans tied to global battery supply chains.

Similarly, Bannerman Energy has secured offtake agreements with North American utilities for uranium from its Etango project, providing multi-year revenue visibility from 2029 to 2033 and strengthening the project’s long-term investment case.

These transactions reflect a broader structural shift in African mining finance: offtake agreements are no longer just sales contracts, but core instruments of project development, risk allocation and capital mobilization. For other markets seeking finance and long-term buyers, these examples demonstrate the viability of offtake contracts – not only for project commissioning phases but as tools for early-stage development.

Notably, in South Africa, where the government is targeting R2 trillion in investment to unlock its critical minerals potential, offtake structures could play a central role in de-risking projects. Similarly, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which holds an estimated $24 trillion in untapped mineral wealth, offtake agreements could accelerate the monetization of its vast copper, cobalt and strategic mineral reserves.

Against this backdrop, the upcoming African Mining Week (AMW) Conference and Exhibition – taking place from October 14–16 in Cape Town – will showcase how offtake-driven financing models can be scaled to accelerate project delivery and strengthen Africa’s position in global minerals supply chain. Uniting stakeholders from across the entire African mineral value chain, the event offers a platform to examine strategic financing, mechanisms to accelerate production and positioning the continent at the forefront of global mining investment.