Africa needs mineral security, too

On February 3-6, policymakers and industry leaders will gathered in Cape Town for the annual Investing in African Mining Indaba. At the top of their agenda will be Africa’s reserves of critical minerals and how the continent can capitalize on their role in the global economy.Africa has long served as one of the world’s primary suppliers of raw materials, making it a focal point of resource diplomacy and geopolitical competition. In 2024, the European Union adopted the Critical Raw Materials Act, which aims to secure greater access to the continent’s resources in exchange for a larger role in local processing and a development pathway aligned with political roadmaps like the Africa Mining Vision.Yet a recurring question will be asked in the halls of Cape Town’s International Convention Centre: To whom are these resources critical? In the context of raw materials and minerals, the term “critical” is often associated with the energy transition. In fact, a mineral is considered critical for two main reasons, both of which have little to do with promoting renewable energy: it is economically important and difficult to substitute, and its supply is at risk of disruption.Both criteria depend on one’s perspective: to whose economy the minerals are important and whose supply chains are at risk. The EU already has robust supply chains for most minerals, so it takes a highly selective approach. In addition to energy-transition minerals like lithium and cobalt, its list of critical raw materials includes beryllium (used in missile guidance systems), tantalum (used in capacitors and electronics), and even commodities in direct contrast to the energy transition, like coking coal.But suppose we asked a different question: What are the mineral security needs of Africa? From the perspective of the Global South and the world’s poorest populations, a list of critical raw materials would look radically different. It would include minerals essential for human security – cement for housing and infrastructure, fertilizers for agriculture, salt for nutrition and food preservation, chlorine for water purification and fluorspar for fluoridation.Seen through this lens, mineral security is less about national security and capturing greater benefits from extraction, and more about access, affordability, and sufficiency for all. Just as food security is understood as universal nutrition, mineral security must support universal needs – shelter, mobility, communication, energy, and sustenance.Building local value chains tailored to Africa’s needs will be vital for the continent’s mineral security. For example, Africa produces 30 million tons of mineral fertilizer annually but exports most of it, accounting for just 3-4% of global consumption – a consequence of high costs and complex supply chains. Crushed rocks offer a promising alternative source of crop nutrients, with the added benefit of capturing carbon dioxide. In Brazil, the Rochagem movement has pioneered the use of local rocks, cutting costs by up to 80% while producing crop yields equal to or higher than those obtained with conventional fertilizers.Similarly, Africa consumes only 5% of global cement production despite accounting for 18% of the world’s population. The high cost of imported clinker cement impedes economic development, weakens housing and transportation infrastructure, slows recovery efforts following natural disasters, and limits African countries’ ability to protect coastlines from the effects of climate change. Alternatives like limestone calcined clay cement (LC3) can be produced locally from abundant clay resources with up to 25% lower costs and 40% lower carbon emissions.Affordable access to globally integrated, mineral-based products like solar panels and batteries remains particularly elusive. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, for example, produces 72% of the world’s cobalt, a key component of lithium-ion batteries. But Africa is projected to account for just 0.1% of the global market by 2030.This problem extends beyond Africa. Between 2002 and 2022, Latin American countries like Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia exported 1,980 kilotons of lithium, yet only 13 kilotons – less than 1% – returned to the region embedded in finished goods.Innovative approaches, such as “materials as a service” schemes that promote leasing rather than selling raw materials, could help bridge these gaps by enabling mineral-producing countries to collect royalties at every stage of processing and production. Building on this approach, policymakers could also require end-product manufacturers to sell finished goods back at affordable prices.To implement such programs, support from advanced economies, particularly in Europe, will be crucial. Technical cooperation and assistance will be especially important to promote human-centered mineral security, because the minerals sector receives just under $600 million out of the $239 billion spent on official development assistance globally in 2021.To secure lasting access to critical raw materials, the EU must go beyond simply offering African countries a bigger role in processing minerals that will ultimately be exported. Instead, it must help create a fairer model of mineral security – one that emphasizes affordability and self-sufficiency, thereby enabling Africa to meet its own development needs.

Africa needs mineral security, too

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Namibian Sun 2025-03-28

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Africa needs mineral security, too

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Namibian Sun 2025-03-28

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