CrossBoundary Advisory
14.02.2025
Blog
14.02.2025
Blog

Perspectives from Mining Indaba 2025 on the evolving mining sector in Africa

What to Know
CrossBoundary Advisory participated in the Investing in African Mining Indaba Conference 2025
Key themes emerged from discussions with mining stakeholders revealed opportunities and challenges for investment in African mining
CrossBoundary is well-positioned to contribute our expertise to the African mining community and scale its growth
Contributors
Lesley Reddy
Managing Director, Head of Southern Africa Advisory
Modi Kutua
Principal
For Media Enquiries
CrossBoundary Communications
Contact

The CrossBoundary Advisory team joined industry leaders at Mining Indaba 2025, bringing our African mining expertise to one of Africa's premier mining conferences. The convening highlighted how Africa is confidently stepping into its role at the global negotiating table, seeking partnerships that drive mutual growth and prosperity.

“Mining Indaba reinforced that successful navigation of today’s African mining sector requires a deep understanding of emerging market innovations. While early-stage funding gaps persist, we’re seeing innovative responses across the spectrum—from private equity adaptation to blended finance solutions. CrossBoundary looks forward to leveraging our experience to connect opportunities with appropriate capital sources while ensuring sustainable development impacts.”

Lesley Reddy, Managing Director and Head of Southern Africa Advisory 

Our discussions with public and private stakeholders across the mining value chain revealed several critical themes that highlight opportunities and challenges to catalyzing investment in African mining:

  1. Bridging early-stage funding gap: The challenge of early-stage mining exploration and feasibility funding is universal across emerging markets. Governments and development finance institutions are pioneering solutions that could offer valuable lessons for Africa’s mining sector. International partners who can bridge this funding gap are positioned to create significant long-term value in the region.
  2. The rise of private equity: Private equity is emerging as a crucial funding source for the mining sector. While international players often seek larger investments, local funds are exploring similar funding vehicles that meet the market absorption capacity. However, the fundraising environment is challenging.
  3. Alternative financing instruments: Tools like prepayments, streaming, and royalty financing are being discussed more widely but remain underutilized due to limited connectivity between capital providers and seekers.
  4. Blended finance on the rise: Instruments such as political risk insurance and export credit facilities are gaining traction, with increased appetite from providers looking to expand their African exposure.
  5. Inter-African cooperation for local beneficiation: There is a growing focus on creating a conducive environment for local beneficiation through regional collaboration and shared infrastructure development. However, expertise gaps and energy security need to be addressed to move up the value chain.
  6. Innovative approaches to social license: Larger miners are exploring innovative ways to enhance their social license to operate, including supporting local suppliers and communities through access-to-finance initiatives.

With over a decade of experience connecting private capital to underserved markets, CrossBoundary is well-positioned to navigate these evolving market dynamics. Our team of over 100 investment professionals based across 10 markets in Africa has deep expertise in:

      • structuring blended finance transactions
      • advising on early-stage deals
      • developing innovative funding vehicles to address access to finance gaps

Cover image credits: Investing in African Mining Indaba website

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