In an interview held during African Mining Week 2025 in early October, Mazibuko said the jobs were created through $700 million in investments channeled into the sector by the AFC. Up to 70% of the funding was directed towards the critical minerals space.

“In all our exposure, there is social, environmental impact and governance (ESG). ESG drives our decisions in our investments strategy,” stated Mazibuko, “Through other investments and priority in green energy, there is still impact that we are going to quantify in future.”

Projects funded by the AFC include the Kamoa Copper mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), FG Gold in Sierra Leone – which has created 370 construction jobs – and a gold mine in Nigeria which created employment for 1,700 people.

The AFC is also advancing the development of the Lobito Corridor – a regional corridor connecting the DRC, Angola and Zambia with global markets – as a lead project developer financier.

“The AFC is one the companies that have championed the advancement of the Lobito project from financing to development. The feasibility study and contracts with several stakeholders have been completed. An Engineering, Procurement and Construction tender has been launched and we are ready to go into construction,” stated Mazibuko.

The AFC is also partnering with Nigeria’s Solid Minerals Development Fund to fund exploration projects while creating partnerships with African financiers to enhance the flow of local investments in local value addition projects.

Watch the full video interview here