Trump-Saudi minerals deal is a starting point, not a solution

For those of us in the mining business, supply chain resilience is a daily operational concern that poses risk and opportunities to our businesses. So, when the USA and Saudi Arabia signed a memorandum of cooperation on mining and critical minerals during President Trump's trip to the Kingdom, the industry rightly took notice. It was a strategic move embedded within a significant US$600 billion investment agenda, and one that reflects growing recognition of the fragility of today’s mineral trade flows.

But here is the hard truth: this bilateral agreement – however ambitious – will not meaningfully reduce global dependence on China, nor will it fix the gaps in critical mineral supply chains. If this deal is to become more than symbolic, two things must happen: Africa must be brought in as a serious supply partner, and traceability must be baked into every transaction from the outset.

Africa is not an untapped frontier; it is an already active, indispensable part of the global mining economy. The continent is producing antimony, bauxite, tungsten, and other minerals and rare earths at scale, much of it through artisanal and small-scale operations. These producers are not speculative – they are operational. But they often lack the infrastructure, financing, and traceability tools to participate in the formal global marketplace. From a technical perspective, this is a solvable challenge. What is needed is not just capital, but integration. Buyers need proof of origin, documentation of ethical sourcing, and confidence that supply is verifiable and secure. Without traceability, the scale of Africa’s production is rendered moot. The risk is too high, and the reputational cost for downstream buyers – especially in regulated markets like the US and Europe – is even higher.

Sabi is working to solve this with TRACE, a digital compliance and traceability platform designed for real-world mining environments. It gives miners and aggregators a practical way to demonstrate provenance, environmental stewardship, and labour compliance – all via mobile tools built for the realities of small-scale operations. With the right system in place, miners gain access to better markets and higher prices, and buyers gain peace of mind.

Saudi Arabia, with its capital reserves and strategic ambitions under Vision 2030, is well-placed to serve as a processing and logistics hub. But a hub is only as valuable as the network it connects. Africa can supply the volume. What is needed now is the connective tissue that ensures what is coming out of mines in Zambia or the DRC can move seamlessly and credibly through to processors, manufacturers, and ultimately, end users.

Critically, this is not about charity or development aid. It is about securing diversified, ethical supply in a market where demand for critical minerals is exploding. Artisanal miners in Africa are not asking for handouts. They are asking for buyers, for price transparency, for equipment financing, and for a way into global markets that does not penalise them for operating outside formal systems they were never invited into.

President Trump’s agreement with Saudi Arabia should be understood as a strategic opening – a foundation on which to build something truly transformative. But without Africa’s inclusion and a serious commitment to traceability, it risks becoming another high-level agreement with limited operational impact.

If the mining industry wants a supply chain that is secure, ethical, and scalable, it needs to treat African miners as core participants, not afterthoughts. Additionally, it needs traceability systems that work at the source, not just at the port.

Only then will this deal be more than a diplomatic milestone. Then, it will be a mining solution.

Read the article online at: https://www.globalminingreview.com/trade-transport/14052025/trump-saudi-minerals-deal-is-a-starting-point-not-a-solution/