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West Africa Leaders Urged to Prioritize Equity in Natural Resource Governance"


 Leaders from across West Africa have been called upon to prioritize equity and transparency in the governance of natural resources, particularly in the extraction of critical minerals.

The appeal was made at the High-Level West Africa Conference on Equity in Extraction, held in Accra, Ghana, where participants adopted a communique outlining key principles and actions to guide the management of the region's natural resources.

We recognize that the rising global demand for critical minerals creates both opportunity and risk for West African States and communities," said participants in the conference.

The communique calls for the development of a regional governance framework for critical minerals, which would harmonize standards for environmental and social impact assessment, licensing, monitoring, revenue transparency, and conflict-sensitive approaches.

It also urges member states to update national mineral strategies to integrate climate mitigation and adaptation planning, ensure just transition and climate justice, and promote environmental protection and climate-smart mining.

We call upon the Africa Union, ECOWAS, and Member State Governments to adopt and operationalize these commitments with urgency, recognizing that how West Africa governs its critical mineral endowments will determine not only economic trajectories but the regional contribution to a just global energy transition and a resilient future for its communities," said participants.

The conference also emphasized the need for transparency and accountability in extractive industries, protection of community rights and benefits, and promotion of local content and industrialization.

Key Demands:

- Develop a regional governance framework for critical minerals

- Update national mineral strategies to integrate climate mitigation and adaptation planning

- Ensure transparency and accountability in extractive industries

- Protect community rights and benefits

- Promote environmental protection and climate-smart mining

- Support artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) formalization

- Foster local content and industrialization

Timeline

The conference urged the ECOWAS and AU to present a draft framework for member consultations within 12 months, while Member States are also expected to publish an updated strategies or reform roadmaps within 12 months.

The conference was organized by the Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC) and supported by the Ford Foundation.

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