Kenya pushes for retention and local mineral processing

President William Ruto announced at the 2026 Mining Investment Conference in Nairobi that Kenya is shifting from extracting and exporting raw minerals to focusing on local processing and value addition. He emphasized the importance of processing minerals on the continent, citing the construction of an iron ore pelletisation plant in Taita Taveta as a major step towards this goal. Kenya has a diverse mineral base, but much of the value is currently realized abroad, limiting local industrial growth.