Africa must chart its own course in the global mineral landscape
Laura Nicholson
The world recognises Africa's mineral reserves as critical for the global transition to cleaner energy. However, this narrative, focused on the needs of industrialised nations, overlooks a fundamental truth: Africa's minerals hold a far greater significance for the continent itself.
Africa stands at the precipice of a new era, where its vast mineral wealth can redefine its global standing. The continent is home to sizeable reserves of what the world currently defines as critical minerals: 55% of cobalt, 47.65% of manganese, 21.6% of natural graphite, 5.9% of copper, 5.6% of nickel, 1% of lithium, and 0.6% of iron ore.
While the prevailing global discourse on critical minerals centres on the continent’s role in facilitating a just energy transition, primarily for developed Western nations, Africa needs to redefine "critical minerals” with its own development front and centre.
Whether it’s minerals to help meet the continent’s energy needs, or minerals needed for fertiliser to ensure food security, why and for who these minerals are deemed “critical” are the real questions to be answered.
Africa's mineral potential
Despite contributing less than 5% to global greenhouse gas emissions, Africa remains disproportionately vulnerable to climate change impacts and faces significant energy poverty.
Thus, with the global shift toward sustainable energy intensifying, and the demand for “critical” minerals expected to skyrocket, Africa can and should leverage its mineral wealth for its own development.
But to fully capitalise on its mineral resources, Africa's mining sector must overcome infrastructural deficiencies, economic inequalities, and governance issues. What’s more, ensuring equitable distribution of the benefits derived from mineral extraction and directing these benefits toward sustainable development is paramount.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia exemplify Africa's mineral potential. Together, these nations supply a significant portion of the world's copper, with the DRC dominating global cobalt production.
Both countries are establishing special economic zones focused on electric vehicle and battery production, aligning with the African Union's Agenda 2063, which prioritises industrialisation and economic diversification.
Zimbabwe, a significant lithium producer, has banned raw lithium ore exports to encourage domestic value addition, attracting substantial foreign investment, including a $300 million investment from Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt in the Arcadia lithium mine.
"The DRC, Zambia and Zimbabwe are setting a powerful precedent," . "By focusing on downstream processing and regional partnerships, they're demonstrating how Africa can move beyond raw mineral export and build a more sustainable, value-driven mining sector."
Opportunities and risks
Today, the increasing global interest in Africa's minerals presents both opportunities and risks. Competition for access is intensifying, with various actors vying to secure supply chains.
China's significant investments and strategic partnerships in the African mining sector highlight this competitive landscape. Russia, too, is expanding its influence through mining agreements and alliances.
Navigating this complex geopolitical terrain requires strategic action. Intra-African cooperation and a comprehensive mineral governance framework, such as the African Green Minerals Strategy, are crucial for strengthening the continent's bargaining power and ensuring its central role in the global energy transition and green technology value chain.
What’s more, moving beyond raw mineral export and fostering value addition within Africa is essential for maximising the continent's gains from the mineral boom.
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) provides a platform for regional integration and the development of integrated supply chains, potentially reducing reliance on external partnerships and promoting sustainable development within the African mining sector.
Redefining critical
Yet, at the heart of this all, for Africa, the term “critical” must go beyond referring to the minerals essential to produce green technologies.
It must encompass a broader spectrum of minerals, including resources vital not only for global energy transformation but also for the continent’s own economic growth, infrastructure development, job creation, agriculture, and poverty reduction.
Minerals like iron ore, bauxite, and coal, essential for building infrastructure and powering industries, hold equal, if not greater, importance than those solely tied to the global energy transition.
While gold, a significant source of employment, and potash/phosphates, essential for agricultural development and food security, further exemplify this expanded, Africa-led definition of criticality.
We need to broaden our understanding of what 'critical' truly means for Africa. It's not just about the minerals needed for global energy transition; it's about the resources that will drive sustainable development, create jobs, and improve lives across the continent.
In 2023, in South Africa alone, the mining of critical minerals saw mining operators contribute roughly $11.18 billion (R208bn) to the country's gross domestic product and provide direct employment to almost half a million people.
Africa's mineral wealth is its own destiny to shape. If African nations continue only supplying raw minerals, they will miss out on the real economic benefits of the mineral boom. Thus, we must no longer simply supply the world's transition; we must lead it. Mining Indaba 2025, which is held at the beginning of next month, marks the turning point – where Africa redefines critical not by global demands, but by its own needs, its own vision of prosperity.
This is Africa's moment. It is time for Africa to seize control of this narrative, to define its own critical mineral priorities, and to chart a course toward prosperity, driven by its own resources.
Laura Nicholson is the head of Content & Strategic Partnerships for Mining Indaba.
BUSINESS REPORT