From Research to Action – Critical Minerals in the Mid-Transition

The forum pursues five interrelated objectives:

1. Analyse uncertainties and risks affecting global critical mineral markets, including technological change, geopolitical dynamics, and supply–demand imbalances.
2. Examine financing strategies and the evolving role of Public Development Banks (BPDs), DFIs, and Ministries of Finance in managing risk and supporting sustainable value chains with the private sector.
3. Assess French and European strategies on critical minerals in light of industrial policy, energy systems, demand policies, and the geopolitical environment.
4. Identify operational avenues for cooperation with producing countries, including fiscal policy coordination, industrial development, and responsible private investment.

A cross-cutting ambition of the forum is to contribute to the development of shared economic policy scenarios between European institutions and producing countries’ Ministries of Finance, as a foundation for more coherent strategies and partnerships.

Expected speakers and participants include high-level experts, chief economists and CEOs from mining, industrial and public and private finance sectors related to the field of critical minerals, senior researchers from European and Global South institutions as well as public civil servants from European countries, European Commission as well as other G7 countries.

• Thomas Mélonio, Chief Economist, AFD
• Christel Bourbon Seclet, Head of Energy and Infrastructure, Proparco
• Cassilde Brénière, Deputy Director General, Expertise France

• Rabah Arezki, CNRS, FERDI
• Myriam Ferran, Deputy General Director, Directorate-General for International Partnerships (INTPA), European Commission

• Stéphane Bourg, Director, OFREMI
• Hélène Djoufelkit, Deputy-Executive Director, Sustainable Development, AFD
• Tae-Yoon Kim, Head of critical minerals division, IEA
• Louis Maréchal, Senior Advisor, Minerals and Extractives, OECD
• Godefroid Misenga Milabyo, Executive Secretary of COREF, Democratic Republic of Congo Ministry of Finance
• Natascha Nunes Da Cunha, Senior Expert, European Commission, DG INTPA

Moderator: 

• Etienne Espagne, Lead Economist, AFD

• Ignacio De Calonje, Chief Investment Officer, Global Energy, Metals & Mining, IFC
• Ousmane Diawara, Partner, Infrastructure and Mining Advisory, EY
• Thomas Lagrée, Partner, INFRAVIA
• Pauline Larat, Energy Division, AFD
• Massimiliano Picciani, BPI France

Moderator: 

• Guillaume Pluntz, Senior Investment Officer, Proparco

• Raphael Danino-Perraud, Commissioned officer, Ministry of the Armed Forces; associate researcher at IRSEM and IFRI
• Ludovic Donati, French Lithium Project Director, ERAMET
• Benjamin Gallezot, Interministerial Delegate for the Procurement of Strategic Minerals and Metals, DIAMMS
• Elisabetta Sartorel, Policy officer, Critical Raw Materials at European Commission
• Raphaële Thévenin, Director for Sustainable Development, Verkor (TBC)

Moderator: 

• Valentin Benoît, Energy Division, AFD

• Luis Eduardo Osorio Calderón, Deputy Minister of Alternative Energy, Bolivia
• Hugo Lapeyronie, Associate Researcher, Sorbonne Université
• Nafi Quarshie, Africa Director, Natural Resource Governance Institute
• Isabelle Ramdoo, Director, Intergovernmental Forum on Mining
• Sébastien Treyer, Director, IDDRI

Moderator: 

• Cécile Valadier, Head of the Public Transparency, Management, and Accountability Division, Expertise France

Roundtable

• Myriam Ferran, Deputy General Director, Directorate-General for International Partnerships (INTPA), European Commission
• Benjamin Gallezot, Interministerial Delegate for the Procurement of Strategic Minerals and Metals, DIAMMS
• Hélène Djoufelkit, Deputy Executive Director, Sustainable Development Finance and Economy

• Critical Mining Asset Control and Geoeconomic Fragmentation: What Is Left for Developing Countries?, Research papers N°390, Editions AFD