Kenya’s President William Ruto has declared that the country will no longer be exporting raw minerals. He said this in a speech he made on Thursday, 23rd April 2026, in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi.
Speaking at the summit dubbed Africa We Build, the president said that for many years, foreign companies have extracted minerals from Kenya and sent them abroad for processing. This, he said, deprived Kenya of much higher returns. He cited the case of titanium, which he said had not benefited Kenyans much.
As with agricultural products, processing raw materials adds value. Hence, it is more beneficial to establish processing plants locally and then sell the output at higher prices.
African countries that refine their own minerals seem to have better-performing economies. Good examples are South Africa and Botswana, both of which rank high in economic performance.
South Africa not only refines its gold but also manganese, chrome, and other metals. Botswana sorts its diamonds, values them, and goes all the way to the cutting stage. It also refines other minerals.
About the Africa We Build Summit 2026
Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) partnered with the Kenyan government to host the Africa We Build summit 2026. The main topic of discussion was how to implement infrastructure development in Africa. This means not settling at prioritization, but effectively doing it.
The summit took two days and was attended by leaders from different economic sectors. Among the represented stakeholders were financial institutions, government ministries, infrastructural operators, among others.
Kenya may not have many minerals like those in South or West Africa, but the little there is can help improve the economy if well managed. Among the metallic minerals found in Kenya are copper and gold. The non-metallic ones include limestone, fluorspar, soda ash, and salt.