Marrakech – Positioned as Africa’s most attractive mining jurisdiction, Morocco is once again at the forefront of the continent’s mining and industrial transformation. The second edition of the Morocco International Mining Congress & Exhibition (IMC 2025), which kicked off today in Marrakech, marked a historic milestone with the adoption of the African ESG Framework through the Marrakech Declaration.
Under the theme “Strategic and critical metals: Morocco, an open industrial and technological hub for regional and global added value,” the ongoing IMC 2025 brings together ministers, industry leaders, and investors from across Africa and the world to strengthen the continent’s role in responsible and sustainable mining.
The event is organized by the Federation of Mineral Industry of Morocco (FDIM) and AME Trade Ltd, with full support from the Ministry of Energy Transition & Sustainable Development, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, and the Moroccan Agency for Investment and Export Development (AMDIE).
The Marrakech Declaration recognizes that Africa holds the minerals essential to the global energy and digital transitions and asserts that the value of these resources must primarily benefit African people and economies.
It highlights that existing ESG standards do not always reflect African realities, prompting the creation of a tailored framework designed by Africans for Africans.
The declaration builds on key initiatives, including the launch of the OTC-Corridor in December 2024, the Call of Nairobi in July 2025, and the Call of Nouakchott in September 2025, which all emphasized the need for an African ESG framework adapted to local contexts.
The start of a new era of convergence
It also follows the outcomes of the side event “African ESG Framework: Our resources, our future” held in October 2025 as part of the World Power to x Summit in Marrakech.
Officially adopted today, the African ESG Framework provides a common reference for responsible, transparent, inclusive, and sustainable mineral governance, aiming to facilitate access to sustainable financing for mining and mineral processing projects while fully respecting the sovereignty of African nations.
