Development Banks Join Forces to Turn Critical Minerals Into Jobs and Local Industry

The framework puts into practice commitments made in the banks’ April 2026 joint statement on critical minerals and manufacturing.

Multilateral development banks, including the European Investment Bank Group, have agreed on a new framework to help developing countries build stronger industries around critical raw materials, supporting the journey from mining and processing to manufacturing and recycling.

The collaboration gives participating banks a shared approach to backing responsible, resilient and diversified supply chains. For resource-rich countries, the ambition reaches beyond mineral extraction to the jobs, businesses and investment that processing and manufacturing can bring to their economies.

Building industries around mineral wealth

The framework puts into practice commitments made in the banks' April 2026 joint statement on critical minerals and manufacturing. That agreement recognised the opportunity to help countries turn their mineral resources into broader economic development, with more skilled employment and stronger domestic industries.

Making that happen requires connections between mines, processing facilities, factories and markets. The April statement identified power, transport, logistics, digital connectivity and water as infrastructure needed to support these industries, alongside opportunities for local businesses and communities to participate.

The banks also committed to supporting value chains that serve clean, affordable and reliable energy, digital development and wider economic transformation. Their planned cooperation includes identifying opportunities for joint financing and shared analysis where these can improve support for countries.

Responsible investment across the supply chain

Under the new framework, the banks will coordinate their support for countries and regions, help develop infrastructure and connected industries, and work to attract private investment across mining, processing, manufacturing and recycling.

High environmental and social standards form part of that cooperation, alongside greater transparency and the sharing of knowledge and practical experience. These commitments place responsibility for how projects are developed alongside the push to expand investment and industrial activity.

For a country seeking to build a processing or manufacturing sector, closer coordination could help connect financing, infrastructure and technical support around its development priorities.

Countries will shape how cooperation works

The framework leaves room for countries to determine their priorities and for banks to choose where working together can deliver greater impact. Its flexible approach allows cooperation to reflect different national circumstances and development needs.

A joint MDB working group will coordinate implementation and report on progress each year, providing a regular account of how the collaboration is being put into practice.

The framework creates a structure for sustained cooperation, with its value resting on the support it brings to countries seeking more jobs, investment and industrial opportunities from their natural resources.