Aterian plc’s Post

Africa has vast reserves of critical minerals, including cobalt, lithium, rare earth elements, and other resources essential for advanced manufacturing and modern technologies. The demand for these minerals is surging as the world increasingly shifts towards green energy and digitalisation. However, to maximise the benefits of its rich mineral resources, Africa must enhance value addition within the continent, develop supporting infrastructure, and implement policy reforms that incentivise new refining capabilities.

Africa has vast reserves of critical minerals, including cobalt, lithium, rare earth elements, and other resources essential for advanced manufacturing and modern technologies. The demand for these minerals is surging as the world increasingly shifts towards green energy and digitalisation. However, to maximise the benefits of its rich mineral resources, Africa must enhance value addition within the continent, develop supporting infrastructure, and implement policy reforms that incentivise new refining capabilities. This presents a strategic opportunity for Africa to significantly boost its economic growth through mineral development. The key question now is how Africa can ramp up mineral exploration and extraction and maximise value addition through local refining and manufacturing. Currently, China dominates the global mineral processing market, particularly in the production of lithium and cobalt. In 2019, the country imported approximately $10 billion worth of minerals from sub-Saharan Africa alone, underscoring the region’s reliance on foreign processing capabilities. https://lnkd.in/dEexHymu

De-risking critical minerals supply in Australia

Africa's vast reserves of critical minerals like cobalt, manganese, and lithium are setting the stage for a sustainable future, positioning the continent as a key player in the global energy transition. As the world shifts towards low-carbon technologies, Africa's mineral wealth offers a unique opportunity to drive sustainable development and economic prosperity. At CLG - Energy Transition Centre is committed to supporting this pivotal movement. We provide strategic guidance and legal expertise to ensure that the extraction and use of these resources align with global environmental standards and benefit local communities. Discover the role of Africa's critical minerals in shaping a sustainable economic landscape: https://lnkd.in/dZVGURf6 #SustainableDevelopment #CriticalMinerals #Africa #CLGGlobal

In many parts of the world there are exponential strides to shift energy generation from fossil fuels to clean or renewable sources of energy.  On October 26, 2023 the European Union (EU) agreed to a partnership with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia to develop a critical raw materials value chain and also improve rail transport connections in Africa. [Lobito Corridor] The European Council and Parliament reached a provisional agreement on the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) in November 2023. Zambia is located in south-central Africa, surrounded by mineral rich nations. The largest source of income for the mineral rich country is the mining industry boasting a rich repository of a broad range of minerals that include, gold, copper and cobalt, zinc, lead and iron ore, manganese, nickel and platinum or gold group elements, gemstones, industrial minerals and energy production minerals (uranium, coal and hydrocarbons).  This diverse mineral repository necessitates a critical review considering the international developments in critical minerals and their growing prominence. #InvestInZambia#2024trends#copper#safetyfirst#criticalminerals

🌍 Unlocking Africa’s Potential in the Critical Minerals Boom 🌍 Africa holds vast reserves of key minerals like lithium and cobalt, essential for renewable energy and EVs. Tapping into these resources can drive economic growth and global supply chains, but strategic policies and investments are crucial for success. ⚡💡 Read more: https://lnkd.in/dhKHazwW #CriticalMinerals #AfricaEnergy #EconomicGrowth #EnergyTransition #Sustainability

Africa possesses a significant share of global mineral reserves – including 92% of platinum, 56% of cobalt, 54% of manganese and 36% of chromium. These minerals are used to produce green technologies such as electric vehicle (EV) batteries and wind turbines. Currently, minerals are largely exported from Africa in their raw states to be refined abroad. Increasing processing capacity within Africa to export intermediate goods or final products, known as value addition, could help drive economic development on the continent by creating jobs and resulting in higher tax and income revenues. African countries have huge energy, housing and transport needs and minerals could play a role in the sustainable development of these sectors. Minerals also present an opportunity for Africa to be a frontrunner in the global transition to renewable energy and to shift its position in global value chains. Several African countries have already adopted policies aimed at developing their mineral value chains, such as export restrictions on raw minerals. Regional initiatives have also been launched to try and increase the benefits of mining for African communities. To develop their mineral sectors, African countries need to attract investment, improve geological mapping and expand their skilled workforces. They also need to address challenges in their mining sectors such as infrastructure shortcomings and environmental and human rights issues. Since minerals such as copper and cobalt are key to manufacturing renewable energy technologies, rising demand for these minerals presents an opportunity for Africa to play a key role in the global transition to renewable energy, and to change its position in global value chains. Many African countries currently operate in the upstream segment, extracting minerals and exporting raw materials without substantial value addition .This perpetuates the continent’s position at the lower rungs of global value chains, constraining economic benefits and its ability to negotiate favourable trade terms. By engaging in processes that add value to mineral resources and increasing processing capacity within Africa, countries could export intermediate goods or final products and shift their positions in value chains to the midstream or downstream segments. This could create jobs in the processing sector as well as result in higher tax revenues and increased income from exports. According to McKinsey, Africa could generate between USD 200 million and USD 2 billion of additional annual revenue by 2030 and create up to 3.8 million jobs by building a competitive, low-carbon manufacturing sector. Additionally, minerals could play a role in meeting African citizens’ huge housing and transport needs by driving the sustainable development of these sectors.#africarising #Africa #mining #selfreliance.

Global demand for essential minerals like copper, nickel, cobalt, and lithium is expected to generate revenues of sixteen trillion dollars over the next 25 years, with Africa potentially capturing nearly two trillion of this total. However, the region must move beyond raw extraction to fully capitalize on this opportunity. By developing local processing industries, African countries with mineral resource endowments could significantly boost their profits, tax revenues, and the number of jobs created, while also fostering technological advancements. https://lnkd.in/gmHv29sY

The race for green energy is therefore leading to a rush for these minerals in Africa, led by China, the US and Europe. Chinese mining presence in Africa, which is much lower than western presence, is concentrated in five countries: Guinea, Zambia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Among them, the DRC, Zambia and Zimbabwe are the crucible of the new green energy race in Africa. They are home to Africa’s copper belt and the greatest store of lithium, copper and cobalt.

Africa has vast reserves of critical minerals, including cobalt, lithium, copper, rare earth elements, and other resources essential for our pursuit of cleaner power (predominantly solar, wind and storage) and electric (mainly new energy vehicles) technologies. The demand for these minerals is surging as the world increasingly shifts towards green energy and digitalisation. However, to maximise the benefits of its rich mineral resources, Africa must enhance value addition within the continent, develop supporting infrastructure, and implement policy reforms that incentivise new refining capabilities