Across the African continent, the legal architecture governing extractive industries is being rebuilt. Mining codes are being rewritten. Stabilization clauses narrowed; free-carry stakes widened; export bans imposed, overnight, on shipments already in transit. Behind every one of these measures sits a more fundamental shift: African states are no longer content to be hosts. They intend to be drivers.
For investors, counsels, arbitrators and lenders, the implications are direct. A deal structured on the assumptions of 2018 may not survive the policy environment of 2026. A stabilization clause negotiated in a moment of political calm may face its first real test in a moment of transition. An arbitration clause routing disputes to London or Paris may soon contend with rising expectations that disputes be resolved on African soil.
Lex Africana Mining Intelligence was conceived as the missing brief for that environment: a monthly intelligence review produced by practitioners who negotiate the agreements, advise the states and investors, and argue the disputes that this sector generates.
This inaugural issue covers January through April 2026. Guinea is facing an unprecedented cluster of ICSID claims following mass permit revocations. The DRC has redirected a major cobalt asset from Chinese to American hands, inseparable from the broader renegotiation of Kinshasa's international partnerships. Ghana is transitioning mining assets to national ownership. From Malawi to Zimbabwe, raw mineral export bans are being imposed with a decisiveness unimaginable five years ago.
The landscape is moving. This publication exists to make sure you see it before it moves past you.