Faith Actors in Southern Africa Recommit to Leading the Alternative Mining Indaba
The 2026 Alternative Mining Indaba (AMI) ended in Cape Town on a high note as faith actors recommitted to leading local, national, and regional AMIs to guarantee the good stewardship of God’s creation. Running under the theme, “Alternative Stories of Mining,” the AMI took place from 9th to 12th February and created a safe space for community members, faith actors, and civil society representatives to share their experiences and stories from across their countries. The AACC joined faith actors and other non-state actors to amplify the voices of communities and champion just transitions. The main objective of AACC’s participation was to reaffirm faith actors’ leadership commitments to the AMI at various levels.
Ahead of the AMI, the AACC, in collaboration with the Economic Justice Network of FOCCISA and the Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC), convened a reflection session during which faith actors in Southern Africa recommitted to taking a leading role in championing transparency and accountability in mineral governance within their countries. At the conclusion of the AMI, delegates produced a compelling declaration, which was submitted to the Mining Indaba leadership meeting in the same town.
The declaration called for ethical stewardship of Africa’s mineral resources, referencing the Bible: “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.” Faith actors committed to continuing to play an active role in calling out injustices in the mining sector, affirming human dignity, stewardship, and justice; providing spiritual healing; and integrating mining discussions into church discourse as they partner with other non-state actors.
Celebrating the faith leaders’ recommitment, Dr. Tinashe Gumbo, AACC Programme Executive for Ecological Justice, noted that as faith actors recommit themselves to leading the AMI, interfaith approaches will also be promoted going forward.
“Our sole purpose on this earth is to care for everything in it, and as youth from the Church, we should do everything within our capacity to support the AMIs in our respective countries,” expressed Mr. Keith Muhati, a member of the Africa Youth Network from the Friends Church in Kenya.
In the photo: Some of the Faith Actors delegation at the AMI. [Courtesy: Keith Muhati]
