Canada could add up to C$98 billion a year to GDP by 2035 if it shifts from exporting raw critical minerals to more complex products, Export Development Canada says, citing rare earths, graphite, lithium, copper and uranium as priority value chains. The report points to moving beyond ore into nuclear fuel and reactor components for uranium, and into specialty conductors, transformer components and AI‑grade power grid equipment for copper, building on assets such as Glencore’s Horne copper smelter. Key constraints are long-term risk capital, skilled labour, commercialisation capacity and trade infrastructure still geared to bulk exports.

West Africa’s collective gold output now exceeds China’s, and Fortuna Mining CEO Jorge Ganoza says the region’s mineral endowment and rapid permitting and development timelines make it central to any growth strategy in precious metals despite higher geopolitical risk. Fortuna, which runs two mines in West Africa and two in Latin America, is tactically shifting capital between jurisdictions and has already started ordering critical power generators and other equipment for its newly acquired Bambadji project before securing an exploitation permit. Ganoza notes that competition from global data centres is constraining generator supply, limiting miners’ ability to secure units even with higher bids.

Newcore Gold has reported one of its widest, highest-grade intercepts at the Boin deposit on the Enchi project in Ghana, with reverse-circulation hole KBRC411 cutting 69 m at 2.59 g/t Au from 58 m depth, including 24 m at 6.41 g/t from 59 m, and KBRC414 returning 32 m at 0.83 g/t from 70 m, including 6 m at 3.37 g/t. The seven new RC holes, totalling 960 m over 1.9 km of strike and drilled to a maximum vertical depth of 125 m, all intersected mineralisation and target conversion of Boin’s 15.9 Mt probable reserve at 0.84 g/t and 23.5 Mt indicated at 0.73 g/t. These results, largely outside the June PFS resource that underpins a planned 5.5 Mt/y open-pit and mill producing 953,000 oz over 9.3 years, point to scope for higher-grade feed and mine plan optimisation as Newcore advances an 80,000 m programme and prepares a mining lease application.