African leaders urged to leverage vast mineral wealth as strategic tool for global energy transition

African leaders are urged to use $29.5 trillion in mineral wealth to drive local value addition, green industrialization, and jobs for the continent's youth.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 2, 2026, 8:38 AM EST

Source: The information in this article was sourced from Climate Home News

Strategic Importance of African Minerals

As global powers compete to secure resources for electric vehicles, renewable energy, and modern defense systems, Africa has emerged as a central player in the global supply chain. The continent possesses over 55% of global cobalt and 44% of global manganese, along with significant reserves of lithium and platinum-group metals. Despite this massive endowment, Africa currently captures less than 1% of the global value added in the mineral sector, a disparity that policymakers are being urged to address through more assertive industrial strategies.

Shifting Toward Domestic Processing

A growing number of African nations are implementing export restrictions on raw materials to compel domestic investment in refining and processing. In 2023, Namibia banned the export of unprocessed lithium, and Ghana reached an agreement that mandates local value addition. Most recently, Zimbabwe suspended the export of lithium concentrates and all raw minerals, a move designed to force downstream investment and break the cycle of raw export dependency that has historically limited the continent's economic gains.

Regional Coordination and Collective Bargaining

The African Union is promoting a more unified approach through the African Mining Vision to strengthen the continent's bargaining power with international corporations. By adopting common thresholds for beneficiation, African states aim to prevent a "race to the bottom" where companies shift operations to countries with the weakest standards. Furthermore, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is viewed as a critical framework for building cross-border value chains that can support sophisticated industrialization across the region.