The fourth edition of the African Mining and Energy Law Weekend (WADME) concluded on Saturday in Conakry, marked by a passionate call for greater legal sovereignty for Africa in the exploitation of its natural resources.
Over the course of three days at the Primus Hotel Kaloum, the event brought together government officials, legal experts, investors and academics from across Africa, as well as from France, China and Belgium. The aim was to move beyond the purely academic sphere to “develop practical solutions to the continent’s mining and energy challenges”.
According to the organisers, the conclusion is clear. « African legal experts must be at the heart of negotiations on mining and energy. We can no longer accept that our major agreements are negotiated, drafted and conceived elsewhere without African legal expertise ", insisted Momoya Sylla, a member of the organising committee, during the opening ceremony. " It is a question of sovereignty, responsibility and, above all, the future ».
This sense of having regained legal ground has been widely echoed by Guinean officials. The Minister of Justice, Ibrahima Sory II Tounkara, emphasised the need to « strengthen the rule of law, combat corruption and create a stable, reassuring and predictable legal environment for investors “whilst ensuring that ‘flagship projects such as Simandou 2040’ are carried out within a secure framework.” At his side, the Minister for Planning, Ismaël Nabé, has elevated legal analysis to a genuine “ an act of intellectual sovereignty ’, reiterating a fundamental principle: ‘ There can be no economic sovereignty without legal sovereignty ».
Beyond the general discussions, WADME has established itself this year as a platform for concrete technical solutions. The panel discussions addressed highly specific topics ranging from the structuring of investments and dispute resolution mechanisms within the framework of the AfCFTA to more operational issues such as the digitisation of mining cadastres and local content clauses.
" WADME is the annual event that brings together legal professionals, decision-makers and investors to discuss issues and propose solutions ", summarises the official website, confirming its status as a must-attend event for the extractive sector in Africa.
With the launch of major projects such as the Simandou deposit, the challenge for Guinea and its neighbours will now be to translate this political will into operational legal mechanisms. In the meantime, the record turnout at this 2026 event points to a virtuous cycle in which domestic legal expertise will finally become a source of strength for the continent.
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