African mineworkers have been called upon to consolidate their unions and assert control over the continent’s mineral resources, as leaders of the African Federation of Mineworkers and Mineral Wealth (AFMMW) convened for their 3rd Executive Council Meeting at La Palm Royal Beach Hotel in Accra, Ghana.
The meeting, held under the theme “Strengthening Unity and Solidarity Among the African Unions of Mines to Confront the New Global Order and Attempts to Control Natural Resources and Rare Minerals,” brought together union leaders from across the continent. Delegates represented mining unions from Ghana, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Burkina Faso, Liberia, Mali, Tanzania, Egypt, and other African nations.
Speaking at the opening session, Kwesi Pratt Jr., General Secretary of the Socialist Movement of Ghana, called on African mineworkers to organize, fight casualization, and take ownership of mining assets. “The wealth is beneath our feet. The power is in our hands. Let us use it,” Pratt told delegates, highlighting the disproportionate flow of profits from Africa’s mineral-rich soil to multinational corporations, while workers receive minimal wages and protections.
Pratt outlined what he described as a historical continuum of exploitation, from the Trans-Atlantic slave trade and colonial resource extraction to modern neocolonial economic structures enforced through international financial institutions and corporate policies.
He cited data showing that the Democratic Republic of Congo, which possesses roughly 30 percent of the world’s critical mineral reserves, continues to rank near the bottom of the Human Development Index, with millions living on less than two dollars a day despite the country’s multi-trillion-dollar resource base.
The speech detailed the human cost of mineral extraction. Workers, including children, are often paid one to two dollars daily while corporations such as Glencore report annual earnings in the billions. Pratt referenced recent incidents, including a bridge collapse at the Kalando mine in the DRC that killed at least 32 miners, and a separate incident in South Africa where 78 informal miners died after being trapped underground.
Pratt emphasized that casual and contract labor practices, prevalent in Ghana, South Africa, Zambia, and other mining countries, systematically undermine union power and worker protections. He urged AFMMW members to pursue continental strategies against casualization, to ensure labor representation at every negotiating table, and to demand that minerals leave African soil with value added domestically.
Highlighting the AFMMW’s own initiatives, Pratt praised the Federation’s plan to establish a union-owned investment company to acquire and manage mining assets, giving workers direct stakes in the value chain. He framed this as a pragmatic approach to addressing structural inequality in Africa’s extractive industries.
Founded in Cairo in 2024, AFMMW seeks to unite mining unions across Africa and promote sustainable, equitable management of mineral resources. The Accra meeting, continuing through March 28, is expected to focus on expanding membership, strengthening worker safety protocols, and coordinating continental bargaining strategies.
Pratt further reminded delegates that Africa’s labor force is essential to the global green energy transition. “Without African mineworkers, the electric vehicles do not move. The semiconductors are not made. The wealthy nations know this. The question is whether we know it and will act on it,” he said.
