Speaking at an official event, Rodríguez thanked the United Arab Emirates, Brazil, Qatar and the United States for supporting the process, and also acknowledged U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Viory reports. The reopening comes after relations with the IMF were effectively paused in 2019 amid disputes over international recognition of Venezuela’s government.

Rodríguez also enacted Venezuela’s new Organic Mining Law, saying it would help attract major domestic and foreign investment into the sector.

"This is good news for Venezuela, good news for our people . In national unity, we will continue paving the way so that, together, we can build a Venezuela free from sanctions, for the well-being and happiness of our people," she said.

According to recent reporting, the legislation replaces a nearly 30-year-old framework, allows multiple ownership structures including public, private and mixed companies, and offers broader legal guarantees and a more flexible tax regime for investors.

The mining reform forms part of a push by Caracas to open the sector to foreign capital as it looks for new revenue sources beyond oil.

Resource control is central to this rise as these countries hold most of the world ’s key minerals, oil, gas, and agricultural output, vital for electric vehicles, AI, energy systems, and food supply. Recognising this dominance, many Global South countries now focus on local processing, industrial diversification, South–South trade and reforms in global institutions.

Demographics, resources and growth increasingly favor the Global South, while advanced economies expand slowly. Thus, the key question now is not whether the shift is happening, but how traditional powers will respond to a world where influence is more shared than dictated.

Citing data from the Liberia Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (LEITI), Marvey said ArcelorMittal Liberia generated US$1.21bn between 2009 and 2022, yet the government received only US$138m, about 11% of total earnings. He added that unprocessed iron ore continues to be shipped out of the country and that gold and diamonds uncovered during operations are often exported without proper reporting.

“Foreign companies are eating Liberia alive,” he said. “It is the responsibility of lawyers to help close loopholes that allow this exploitation to continue,” Daily Observer quotes.

Marvey pointed to Yekepa, once envisioned as a model mining community, as evidence of the sector’s failures. Despite more than 20 years of operations, the town remains largely abandoned, housing blocks have collapsed, water systems no longer function, and key infrastructure, including parts of the Mount Tokadeh rail line, is deteriorating. 

Meanwhile, ArcelorMittal is reported to have increased production, using longer, heavier trains, raising concerns that government losses may be rising, not falling.

Marvey said Liberia’s legal framework allows multinational companies wide latitude. Concession agreements often lack enforcement mechanisms, and agencies tasked with monitoring mining operations remain under-resourced.

He also described the emerging carbon credit sector as “poorly regulated.” Liberia has no dedicated law governing carbon trading, and only 10% of carbon revenue is required to be paid into state coffers.

Marvey urged the legal community to take a more active role in safeguarding Liberia’s resources, saying the country needs stronger laws, tighter oversight and more consistent enforcement.

“These identified projects represent near-term opportunities with the potential to attract over $20 billion in new investment, create tens of thousands of jobs, and catalyse industrial activity across the country,” Farouk Ahmed, chief executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), said in Lagos at the launch of a “Gas Utilisation Unlock Validation Series.”

Launched in 2021, the Decade of Gas is Abuja’s flagship energy transition agenda, aiming to make gas the primary fuel for industrial growth and export diversification. It rests on four pillars, supply, infrastructure , pricing and utilisation. It seeks to turn more than 200 trillion cubic feet of proven reserves into reliable energy for factories, households and the grid.

Ahmed further noted that the validation series, expected to run for three weeks, is designed to test whether projects can move quickly from paper to execution. Regulators will then match supply with demand, establish pricing mechanisms and pinpoint infrastructure and policy enablers. He added that each project team would work with the NMDPRA and the Secretariat to verify technical, commercial, and financial assumptions, remove bottlenecks and set clear responsibilities and timelines. “This validation series is not only an audit of projects; it is also a way to speed up their implementation,” he told industry leaders.

Despite holding the continent’s largest reserves, investment has been constrained by pipeline gaps, processing bottlenecks, overlapping regulations and uncertain domestic pricing.

The plan envisions a large‑scale underground mine roughly 55 km northwest of Kisumu, with ore processed through a 1,500‑tonnes‑per‑day plant powered by a 12‑megawatt station, and tailings stored on site.

Capital costs are estimated at US$170 - 208 million (Sh22 - 27 billion), with annual operating costs of about US$19 million. The company projects royalties of US$4.3 - 4.7 million (Sh560 - 610 million) a year for the state, plus US$1.5 million (Sh195 million) via the Mineral Development Levy. Under Kenya’s Community Development Agreement rules, 1% of the value of gold produced would be shared directly with host communities. Initial mine life is eight years, with potential extension subject to further drilling.

“Our focus is to develop a world ‑class underground operation that meets global safety and sustainability standards,” said Jiten Divecha, general manager of Shanta Gold Kenya Ltd, who signed the EIA. 

The company proposes Long Hole Open Stoping (LHOS), a mechanised method designed to minimise surface disturbance. Mined-out voids would be backfilled with cemented aggregate to reduce the risk of subsidence, the EIA states. Key infrastructure includes a tailings storage facility, waste rock dumps and administrative buildings.

The project would require about 337 acres, mainly private land, potentially displacing around 800 households. Shanta has identified six resettlement sites totalling 1,932 acres, offering cash compensation or relocation within the region.

“We have no other occupations apart from the mining site,” she explains. “Going to the fields currently puts our lives at risk because of the ADF rebels,” she told Viory.

Armed groups like the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) have intensified attacks across eastern DRC, driving thousands from their homes. Local officials warn of daily displacement due to the worsening security crisis. “Mining is what keeps this population alive,” said Monga Mabanga Julio, the governor’s delegate in Njiapanda-Manguredjipa.

According to Oxfam , for every 3kg of Congolese cobalt, Tesla may generate over $3,000 in profit, while the Congolese government earns under $10 in royalties, and miners like Josephine receive barely $7.

Local leaders argue the mineral wealth could still rebuild the nation if managed properly.

“These reserves will allow the Congolese state to finance roads, hospitals, and schools ,” said Katembo Lughala Josue, a mining official.

Despite holding over 70% of the world ’s cobalt supply, the DRC’s mining industry remains plagued by insecurity, poverty, and exploitation.

Despite these strides, the campaign seems to have yielded little as environmental destruction worsens. Illegal miners now dig in the open with no fear of authority.

To counter this menace, President John Dramani Mahama's government has also put in motion an intense war by instituting the Goldbod, a body which is now in charge of everything gold and other precious minerals.

The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources is also not sitting back and has equally rolled out a mining skills programme dubbed the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme (rCOMSDEP), to promote ethical mining.

On the journey to the outdooring of this initiative in Obuasi, in the Ashanti Region of Ghana, eight precious souls lost their lives.

These eight, including the Minister of Defence, Edward Omane Boamah and the Minister of Environment, Alhaji Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, were killed in a military helicopter crash on August 6.

Major destruction from galamsey so far

Although illegal mining contributes over one-third of Ghana’s gold production, it costs the state approximately $2 billion annually in lost tax revenue.

Up to 60% of Ghana’s surface water sources, including key rivers like the Ankobra and Pra, are contaminated with hazardous levels of mercury, arsenic, and other heavy metals.

Additionally, polluted water has impaired the Ghana Water Company’s capacity by up to 75%, leading to possible reliance on expensive water imports by 2030.

More than 4,726 hectares of forest and riverine areas have been destroyed, affecting 34 out of Ghana’s 288 forest reserves. Over 190,000 acres of cocoa farmland have been lost, either seized by miners or degraded through encroachment.

Current reforms

President John Dramani Mahama, in April 2025, established the Ghana Gold Board (Goldbod) to regulate and check mining in the country.

Under the Goldbod Act, the body is the only powerful, centralised body mandated to oversee the entire gold value chain from licensing and assaying to buying, refining, and exporting gold. GoldBod replaces prior fragmentation to bring structure and control to the sector.

Under the reform, foreigners are barred from directly trading or purchasing gold domestically, and all gold trade must be conducted through GoldBod, in the Ghanaian cedi. This move aims to retain value within national channels and strengthen oversight

Additionally, the Act empowers GoldBod with enhanced monitoring, surveillance, increased penalties, and the establishment of specialised task forces to clamp down on illegal mining and gold smuggling. It also enforces stricter border controls and customs procedures.