In recent years, we’ve seen an increase in lesser economically developed countries (LEDCs) banning the export of certain goods for various reasons. These bans are frequently implemented to encourage local processing and value addition, reduce reliance on foreign supplies, and are part of a larger trend in which countries are shifting their focus from raw material exports to mineral value addition, recognizing the benefits of processing and refining minerals domestically to increase economic and strategic influence. LEDCs, such as Indonesia with its 2022 nickel ore export ban and the Ivory Coast with its recent cocoa export restrictions, believe these bans to be justified further to develop their economies and control over supply chains.

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However, though these exports often benefit the people of these LEDCs, these actions have a noticeable effect on the global economy and trade. For example, the nickel export ban Indonesia enacted in 2022, though it increased Indonesia’s economy and job prospects in the mineral industry, heavily disrupted the EU’s stainless steel industry that relied on Indonesia’s mineral ores to produce stainless steel products. The issue of whether or not export bans enacted by LEDCs is still contested, with some believing that it’s just for LEDCs to ban their exports to improve and develop their country’s economy and other nations believing it's unjustified for LEDCs to ban their exports as it may disrupt many global industries.