UN Security Council discusses African natural resource governance

On 22 July 2026 the United Nations Security Council held a high‑level meeting, initiated by the Democratic Republic of Congo, on "Governance of natural resources as a foundation for peace, security and prosperity." The United States, represented by Ambassador Tammy Bruce, said it was ready to use every tool at its disposal to assist the DRC, Rwanda and Sudan in turning mineral wealth into a source of reconstruction rather than conflict, noting the role of illicit gold in fueling wars.

A week later, on 27 July, a related high‑level conference opened in Accra, Ghana, under the patronage of President John Mahama. Speakers such as Augustus Tanoh (special adviser to the president), Alexander Mould (CEO of Ghana’s Millennium Development Authority) and Binaifer Nowrojee (Open Society Foundations) stressed that the key to turning Africa’s critical minerals into shared development lies in effective governance, transparent revenue sharing and building local processing capacity. Both gatherings underscored that proper institutional rules, not the minerals themselves, determine whether natural resource wealth fuels peace or conflict across the region.