Prime Minister Dr. Ngirente Edouard has called members of the East and Centre African mining sector to make the sector competitive and attractive.

He was speaking on Monday, at the official opening of the inaugural East and Central Africa Mining Forum, a two-day gathering that is underway in the Kigali Convention Centre.

Prime Minister pointed out that the Africa’s mining sector is one of the largest in the world and plays a key role in development and economic growth of many African countries.

“In terms of job creation, mining sector is associated with 12 million jobs on our continent. It is also important to note that each direct mining job generates around 2 more indirect jobs through backward and forward linkages.” Prime Minister said.

To maximize the benefits of mining, African countries need to come together and think about how mining can contribute better to local development by making sure workers and communities see real benefits from large-scale industrial mining and that their environment is protected. Premier added.

Speaking about productivity, Prime Minister pointed out that there is still big productivity inefficiencies that waste revenue potential.

Calling for a possible change, Prime Minister noted that estimates show that over 60% of global minerals are in Africa and yet revenues are still below 20%, and exploration investments under 15% annually.

Dr Ngirente said that the recently adopted African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) is a welcome additional support to the realization of the Africa Mining Vision.

He further said that the private sector should leverage increased economies of scale and access to regional raw materials and intermediate inputs; to develop better conditions for regional value chains and integration into global value chains.