Saudi Arabia To Host Fourth Future Minerals Forum In January 2025

Saudi Arabia will host the fourth Future Minerals Forum (FMF) from January 14 to 16, 2025, at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center in Riyadh. This event, under the patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, is organised by the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources.

The FMF is a government-led platform that brings together global decision-makers to address challenges in the minerals sector. The forum aims to place minerals at the forefront of global development, prosperity, and energy transition discussions. Since its inception in 2022, FMF has promoted collaboration among mineral-producing nations and sustainability initiatives.

Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef stated that FMF 2025 will focus on "Delivering Impact." The forum aims to create and drive investment opportunities in the mining and mineral sector. It has become a significant global platform for stakeholders, including governments, mining companies, financial institutions, service companies, research centres, and academic institutions.

The upcoming Ministerial Roundtable will involve participants from 100 countries. This extensive collaboration includes working groups comprising government bodies and 40 organisations such as international organisations, NGOs, and trade associations. These groups will work together to implement initiatives and strategies established during previous roundtables.

The conference will feature notable figures from the mining and industrial sectors. Confirmed speakers include Tom Palmer (CEO of Newmont Corporation), Jonathan Price (President and CEO of Teck Resources), Dominic Barton (Chairman of Rio Tinto), Mark Cutifani (Chairman of Vale Base Metals), Robert Friedland (Founder and Co-CEO of Ivanhoe Mines), Bob Wilt (CEO of Maaden), Jeremy Weir (Chairman and CEO of Trafigura), Duncan Wanblad (CEO of Anglo American), and Rohitesh Dhawan (CEO of the International Council on Mining and Metals).

FMF 2025's program will highlight new voices on critical minerals, downstream perspectives, regional insights from Africa, Western and Central Asia, Latin America; investment partnerships in supplier countries; contributions to society; green technology; AI revolution; country showcases; and project highlights.

Past Achievements

Since its launch in 2022, FMF has been a voice for regions like Africa, Western Asia, Central Asia, and Latin America. In 2023, Ministerial Roundtable participants agreed on four initiatives: developing a regional critical minerals framework for global collaboration; creating green metals hubs powered by renewable energy; establishing transparent supply chains for responsible mineral production; and setting up centres of excellence for capacity building across mineral value chains.

The third edition saw over 14,000 participants from 133 countries. Attendees included ministers, senior government officials, leaders from international organisations, and C-level executives from global mining companies. The forum also witnessed the signing of 75 mineral deals worth approximately SAR75 billion.

The event will commence with a government-led Ministerial Roundtable on January 14. This will be followed by the Conference and Exhibition on January 15-16. Participants will hear from experts discussing crucial topics related to minerals.

Preparations are underway for FMF 2025 to ensure it continues fostering collaboration among stakeholders in the mineral sector while promoting sustainable development goals globally.

With inputs from SPA