The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published a policy brief on how development finance could unlock investment across the critical minerals value chain while ensuring official development assistance (ODA)-eligible countries retain domestic value and development benefits. The brief finds that official development finance explicitly tagged to critical raw materials totalled USD 130 million over 2014-2024, peaking at USD 24 million in 2024, and notes that private finance mobilisation through official interventions has so far been limited. The analysis highlights large investment needs and risk drivers across the value chain, including a USD 180 billion to USD 270 billion funding gap for critical minerals mining projects between 2022 and 2030, alongside ESG, price volatility, financial integrity, geopolitical, exploration-phase and energy-access risks. It reports USD 6.56 billion in official development finance for extractive industries, mineral resources and mining (excluding oil, coal and gas) over 2014-2024, including USD 2.47 billion in ODA and USD 4.1 billion in other official flows, and estimates private finance mobilised for extractives at USD 9.23 billion over the same period. Applying the same keyword approach to critical raw materials, it estimates USD 899.7 million in private finance mobilised over 2014-2024, mostly by multilateral organisations, and underscores the role of safeguards and alignment with OECD responsible mineral supply chain due diligence frameworks. The brief points to further Development Assistance Committee work on applying the OECD DAC Blended Finance Guidance 2025 to the sector, strengthening policy dialogue and capacity building, and analysing concrete project examples, including ODA-eligibility, private finance mobilisation and safeguards to support partner-country development outcomes.
OECD 2026-04-27
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development reviews development finance for critical minerals reporting USD 130 million in official flows and USD 899.7 million in private finance mobilisation
The OECD published a policy brief on using development finance to unlock investment in the critical minerals value chain while preserving domestic value and development benefits for ODA-eligible countries. It identifies a USD 180–270 billion funding gap for critical minerals mining projects to 2030, limited private finance mobilisation to date (USD 899.7 million over 2014–2024), and stresses safeguards aligned with OECD responsible mineral supply chain due diligence. The brief also flags forthcoming DAC work on applying OECD blended finance guidance, strengthening policy dialogue and capacity building, and analysing project-level approaches to ODA-eligibility and private finance mobilisation.