Morocco is strengthening its position in the African mining industry and intends to play a growing role in the global value chains for critical and strategic minerals. Ranked 15th worldwide and 1st in Africa for overall mining attractiveness, according to the Fraser Institute’s 2025 annual survey published in 2026, the Kingdom is building on its mining potential, particularly in phosphates, and is developing new activities around the minerals required by the industries of the energy transition.
This momentum is part of a broader ambition: to strengthen the local processing of mineral resources and to develop new value chains in Morocco.
IMC 2026 follows on from the 2025 edition, which was marked by the adoption of the Marrakech Declaration reaffirming the African mining sector’s commitment to high environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards. This new edition will carry that work forward, placing particular emphasis on the implementation of these commitments and on the conditions for responsible and sustainable mining development.
The 2025 edition brought together close to 1,000 participants from more than 40 countries and over 70 exhibitors representing different segments of the mining value chain.
IMC 2026: the African mining industry at the heart of three days of discussions in Rabat
IMC 2026, the 3rd edition of the International Mining Congress in Morocco, will be held from 6 to 8 October 2026 at the Sofitel Jardin des Roses in Rabat, under the theme “Towards a new industrial era: Africa, an integrated hub for the processing of critical and strategic minerals”.
The congress is organised by the Fédération de l’Industrie Minérale (FDIM) and AME Trade Ltd, under the auspices of the Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development and the Ministry of Industry and Trade, with the support of AMDIE and in partnership with the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM).
The IMC 2026 programme is built around one central issue: focusing the debate on industrial processing on African soil, beyond extraction.
For two days, ministers, institutional decision-makers, national and international experts and mining operators will discuss how Africa can build competitive industrial processing hubs, around the critical and strategic minerals needed for the energy transition.
The major players in Morocco’s mining industry
The leading players in Morocco’s mining industry will be present in Rabat, alongside international operators, service providers and equipment suppliers, brought together in the IMC Exhibition, giving participants the opportunity to engage with the full range of players in the sector.
Around the sector’s processing and development challenges, this diversity of players will bring together every component of the mining ecosystem, including:
- ONHYM – the National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines.
- OCP Group – a global player in phosphates, fertilisers and phosphate derivatives.
- Managem, a pan-African mining group, has been developing gold, energy transition metals and natural gas for more than 90 years. The Group has 5,000 employees, representing 29 nationalities, and operates in 7 African countries.
- Aya Gold & Silver – operator of the Zgounder silver mine.
- SACEM (Société Anonyme Chérifienne d’Études Minières) – a Moroccan company specialising in the exploration, mining and processing of ores, notably manganese.
- SSM (Société de Sel de Mohammedia) – a company specialising in the extraction, production and marketing of salt in Morocco.
- Kharrouba Copper Mining – a mining company engaged in the exploration and development of copper resources in Morocco.
- SME (Société marocaine d’explosifs et accessoires de mines) – a company specialising in the manufacture and supply of explosives and accessories for mining operations, quarries and civil engineering works.
- EPC Explo Maroc – a specialist in explosives solutions and related services for the extractive industries, notably the mining and quarrying sectors.
- SMIREX – a company active in the Moroccan mining sector, notably in the exploration, mining and processing of mineral resources.
- Société CRIMIDESA Maroc – a company specialising in the extraction and processing of industrial minerals, notably minerals for the chemicals and materials sectors.
- KHARROUBA Copper Mining – a mining company engaged in the exploration and development of copper resources in Morocco.
- Compagnie minière Draa Tafilalet (IOM Group) – a mining company active in the exploration and mining of mineral resources in the Drâa-Tafilalet region.
- Broychim – a company specialising in the grinding, treatment and processing of ores and mineral substances for a range of industrial applications.
- ULM Industries – an industrial company active in solutions and equipment for the mining and industrial sectors and for mineral resource processing.
- CMO – a company specialising in the mining and processing of mineral resources.
- Atlas Tin – the company developing the Achmmach tin project, one of the leading tin resource development projects in Morocco.
The programme at a glance
Tuesday 6 October – Opening and technical sessions
- Official ceremony and opening addresses
- Ministerial round table on moving from resources to industrial value chains
- Inaugural tour of the IMC Exhibition
- Plenary: What industrial models can enable Africa to develop competitive hubs for processing critical and strategic minerals?
- Parallel sessions:
- Reinventing exploration for critical and strategic minerals: disruptive technologies and new demand dynamics
- Processing and refining critical and strategic minerals: technologies for local processing
- Structuring bankable projects for critical and strategic minerals: legal, tax and partnership aspects
- Networking cocktail
Wednesday 7 October – Industrialisation, technologies and ESG
- Plenary: Accelerating Africa’s mining industrialisation: infrastructure, energy and international cooperation
- Parallel sessions:
- AI, digitalisation and disruptive technologies serving mining transformation
- The rise of African champions in mining services and mining contracting
- ESG for responsible African mining governance
- Skills development as a driver of sustainability in Africa’s mining sector
- Signing of agreements
- Closing ceremony
Throughout the two conference days, a dedicated space will be set aside for B2B meetings
Thursday 8 October – Site visits
The visits currently planned include:
- Khouribga mining site and Jorf Lasfar platform – OCP Group
- Tighza mine – CMT
- Mohammedia salt mine – SSM
- Kénitra industrial zone
- Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P)
For more information and to register, visit: imc-morocco.com.
