Riyadh to Host Int’l Conference on Future of Strategic Minerals 

Riyadh to Host Int’l Conference on Future of Strategic Minerals 

Saudi Arabia will host on Tuesday a round-table meeting of ministers concerned with mining affairs, to discuss the means to build a conscious global mineral sector that meets the increasing demand for strategic minerals.

Sixty countries, represented by 40 ministers and 18 high-level officials, will participate in the meeting, along with 10 regional and international organizations.

According to information obtained by Asharq Al-Awsat, the round table will discuss the “Metals and Energy Transition”, at a time when the metal sector is expected to play a vital role in moving towards a low-carbon future with clean technologies that rely on solar panels, wind turbines and electric cars.

Another topic for discussion is “Minerals and Development”. The demand for minerals provides an opportunity for countries rich in resources to be able to use their revenues to support the goals of sustainable development.

It is estimated that the future will depend heavily on mineral resources, such as nickel, aluminum, copper, lithium, cobalt, and rare earth metals.

According to the World Bank estimates, the production of strategic minerals could increase by up to 500 percent by 2050, due to the rise in demand for minerals used in renewable energy and electric vehicles.

Moreover, in order to achieve the target to