Metals and Minerals

Metals and minerals make modern life possible. Copper, lithium, aluminum, graphite, nickel, and other materials are essential to electricity systems, transportation, hospitals, digital technology, construction, agriculture, and industry.

Demand for key minerals is rising rapidly. For mineral-rich developing countries, this creates an opportunity to attract investment, create more and better-paid jobs, build local industries, and diversify their economies. To maximize benefits for local citizens, countries need strategies that reflect their own development priorities and capabilities.

Depending on the country, opportunities may include supplying goods and services to mining operations, expanding processing and manufacturing, developing shared infrastructure, building regional value chains, or using mineral revenues to invest in people and communities. There is no single model for creating greater local value.

Mineral development is not without risks, especially to communities near mines and the surrounding environment.

Turning mineral wealth into lasting development therefore requires:

• Strong institutions, transparent rules, and effective management of revenues;

• Reliable power, transport, water, geodata, and a skilled workforce;

• Responsible private investment and access to long-term capital;

• Meaningful community engagement and fair sharing of benefits; and

• Strong environmental and social standards throughout the life of a project.

The World Bank Group helps countries navigate these choices and use their mineral resources to create jobs, strengthen industries, and improve lives. Our work combines public-sector financing and policy support, private investment, and guarantees, all underpinned by rigorous environmental and social standards.

The World Bank Group is moving from strategy to implementation, bringing together public-sector reforms, private investment, infrastructure, skills, and risk mitigation to help countries turn mineral resources into jobs and lasting economic opportunity.

Through Country Compacts and strategic partnerships, we are supporting resource-rich countries in translating national priorities into practical reforms, investment pathways, and measurable targets. These country-led frameworks focus on what each country needs to succeed: stronger institutions, business-enabling infrastructure and skills, and responsible private capital.

The World Bank Group is scaling up its support to help countries attract investment, develop infrastructure, strengthen governance, and uphold strong environmental and social standards.

By doing so, we help countries unlock the full potential of their mineral resources, build resilient economies, and create jobs across the value chain. Our approach is tailored to each country’s specific context, supporting better governance and institutional capacity in some countries while expanding processing, manufacturing, and trade in others.

We focus on three interconnected pillars:

I. Policy, Governance, and Institutional Strengthening

Strong governance is the foundation of a responsible mining sector. The World Bank Group supports governments to:

• Reform mining codes, fiscal frameworks, and legislation to attract responsible investment.
• Strengthen transparency, ESG standards, and benefit-sharing mechanisms.
• Provide advisory support to help governments and communities plan downstream investments and manage benefits fairly.
• Create the enabling environment through financing and global knowledge initiatives.
• Support mine closure, rehabilitation, and repurposing.

These efforts enable countries to capture greater value, enhance accountability, and establish institutions that can manage mineral wealth effectively.

II. Key Enablers for Mining-Led Value Addition

Minerals can drive development far beyond mine sites. Integrating processing and manufacturing into mineral value chains can significantly boost development. To realize these benefits, countries need to develop  infrastructure— especiallypower, water, and transport—so they can affordably and reliably extract, process, and move minerals.

The World Bank Group supports countries to:

• Expand reliable and affordable physical (power, transport, water), and human capital (skills) infrastructure.
• Improve access to geodata and build capacity for contract negotiations and resource management.
• Develop regional economic corridors that connect mineral-rich areas to manufacturing and markets.
• Promote recycling and circular-economy solutions to extend the life of mineral value chains.

III. Private Sector Mobilization and Innovation

Mining requires capital, often more than governments can afford on their own. The World Bank Group helps to:

• De-risk private investment and provide long-term financing for project development.
• Manage environmental and social risks and promote responsible business conduct.
• Support research, technology transfer, and innovation to increase competitiveness and sustainability.
• Mobilize private capital in high-risk environments to create jobs, diversify supply chains, and expand local industries.

Country Compacts and Tailored Engagements

To turn strategy into action, the World Bank Group will implement  country compacts  in selected mineral-rich countries. These compacts will align policy, investment, and knowledge support across the value chain—from mining to processing and infrastructure.

Each compact will be tailored based on:

• Geological potential and data availability
• Government commitment and policy readiness
• Potential for transformative, in-country value addition
• Presence of responsible investors and adherence to strong ESG standards.

Countries that meet most criteria can receive targeted investment support, while others will focus on strengthening governance and enabling conditions.

Risk Management and ESG Focus

Responsible mining starts with strong environmental and social standards. All World Bank Group operations apply the World Bank’s  Environmental and Social Framework (ESF)  or IFC’s Performance Standards to ensure adherence to international best practices, meaningful consultation, and responsive grievance mechanisms. We work with clients to manage risks related to biodiversity, water, safety, gender-based violence, and community relations.

The World Bank Group also recognizes the importance of  Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC)  for Indigenous Peoples and the need for inclusive engagement with affected communities.

Argentina: Mobilizing private investment and creating jobs

IFC provided $400 million and mobilized an additional $775 million for Rio Tinto’s Rincón Lithium Project—part of a nearly $1.2 billion financing package. At peak construction, the project is expected to employ 4,200 workers, with at least 70% hired locally. Once operational, it is expected to produce enough battery-grade lithium carbonate for more than 1 million electric vehicles annually.

Peru: Strengthening institutions and unlocking investment

A $200 million World Bank project is modernizing Peru’s geoscientific data, streamlining permitting, and strengthening institutional capacity. By improving transparency and predictability, the project is designed to attract responsible investment and lay the foundation for more and better jobs across the mineral value chain.

Mongolia: Building local supply chains

Oyu Tolgoi, one of the world’s largest copper and gold mines, demonstrates how the World Bank Group can bring multiple financing instruments to a complex project. IFC and MIGA helped anchor a $4.4 billion financing package. The project has become a major contributor to Mongolia’s economy, supporting local suppliers, generating public revenues, and investing in surrounding communities.

Zambia: Creating a roadmap for reform, investment, and local value

The Zambia Energy Transition Minerals Roadmap identifies the policy, infrastructure, skills, and institutional reforms needed to expand responsible mineral production, improve management of revenues, and build stronger copper value chains. It supports Zambia’s ambition to increase copper production while using the sector to drive broader economic transformation.

Unlocking capital for smaller projects

A World Bank Group-backed co-investment platform with Appian is addressing the financing gap facing smaller mining projects in emerging markets. With an initial $100 million IFC commitment, the platform aims to invest up to $1 billion in responsible metals and minerals projects with the potential to create jobs and strengthen local economies.

Chile: Using guarantees to strengthen the competitiveness of copper production

MIGA issued guarantee support to CODELCO, Chile’s state-owned copper producer. The financing helps CODELCO secure transition to renewable energy. The operation demonstrates how World Bank Group guarantees can mobilize private financing and strengthen a country’s core export industry.

Building a stronger investment pipeline

Through the RISE Partnership, the World Bank Group is helping more than 20 countries identify investment opportunities across mineral value chains, including in processing and manufacturing. RISE has already helped mobilize approximately $700 million in mining and processing investment in Africa.

Coordinating action across development institutions

The World Bank Group and five other multilateral development banks have established a joint framework to coordinate policy support, infrastructure financing, project preparation, and capital mobilization. The partnership is designed to expand responsible mineral-to-manufacturing value chains while supporting jobs, local businesses, and economic diversification.

The World Bank Group supports global and country-specific initiatives through the Extractives Global Programmatic Support (EGPS) Umbrella Trust Fund, which operates through four thematic windows, including:

• Resilient and Inclusive Supply-Chain Enhancement (RISE) Partnership:
  Established in 2024 under Japan’s G7 Presidency, the RISE Partnership helps countries strengthen mineral governance, attract investment, and develop sustainable supply chains. It supports reforms, infrastructure, skills development, and intra-regional trade to create local value and jobs.
• Climate-Smart Mining (CSM) Initiative:
  The Climate-Smart Mining Initiative helps countries mitigate the environmental impact of the sector and strengthen local livelihoods. It establishes a framework for responsible mineral development aligned with climate goals by advancing decarbonization, circular economy practices, and climate resilience while ensuring strong governance, community engagement, and environmental safeguards.nts and industries accountable, foster transparency and dialogue, and improve governance models.

• Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM):
  Artisanal and small-scale mining provides vital minerals for technology and clean energy but remains largely informal. It employs about 45 million people directly (up to half women) and supports another 270 million, often serving as the main nonfarm livelihood in rural areas. ASM contributes around 10% of global cobalt and 20% of gold bullion, yet informality can result in hazardous conditions, health risks, and gender-based violence. The World Bank Group’s new  ASM Framework  promotes the professionalization and social well-being of miners, empowering local communities and reducing poverty.
• Transparency in Extractive Industries:The Transparency framework underpins our work for a well-governed extractives sector. It enables citizens and civil society to hold governments and industries accountable, foster transparency and dialogue, and improve governance models.

• Joint MDB Statement on Critical Minerals to Manufacturing Value Chains
• World Bank Group and Japan Expand Critical Minerals Partnership
• Extractives Global Programmatic Support (EGPS)