Africa’s vast mineral deposits are key for energy transition

Africa’s holds significant reserves of minerals critical for the global energy transition. The continent boasts roughly 30% of the world’s mineral reserves, including immense deposits of cobalt, manganese, natural graphite, copper, nickel, lithium and iron ore.  

As such, this year’s Critical Minerals Africa (CMA) 2024 Summit – held from November 6-7 in Cape Town – convened industry leaders, policymakers, service providers and investors to address the urgent demands of Africa’s critical mineral value chain.

The Summit featured a robust agenda that sought to shine a spotlight on opportunities for Africa to accelerate its mining sector while utilizing its natural resources to promote value addition and drive socioeconomic development. 

CMA 2024 featured a Ministerial Forum that included the participation of mining ministries from Eswatini, Malawi and Argentina, as well as representatives from Tanzania.

High-level speakers during the forum showcased a number of projects aimed at maximizing mineral production while discussing how to leverage mineral resources to promote economic growth and sustainability. 

The Republic of Malawi’s Minister of Mining Monica Chang’anamuno highlighted several ongoing projects in the country, such as the Kasongo Initiative, which aims to increase the production of rare earth metals, graphite and lithium resources. 

Meanwhile, Eswatini’s Minister of Natural Resources and Energy Prince Lonkhokhela announced ambitious targets to raise to the contribution of the country’s mining sector to its GDP. With aims to increase the share from 1% to 50% in the short- to medium-term, the strategy is supported by new surveys revealing commercial deposits of lithium, copper, cobalt and other base metals.  

To bolster investment in mid- and downstream infrastructure, the Summit also featured the participation the President of the Chamber of Mines of Zimbabwe Thomas Gono, who stated,

Historically, we exported raw materials, missing out on the potential benefits. With Africa’s young workforce, we now have an opportunity to drive revenue and create jobs through skills development and local beneficiation 

With the participation of Tanzania’s Chamber of Mines, it was announced that the country aims to expand exploration in critical mineral-rich basins from 16% to 50% as part of a strategic push into rare earths, lithium and tanzanite production.

Meanwhile, Zambia’s Chamber of Mines discussed ongoing strategies aimed at helping the country address logistics and energy deficit challenges in the mining sector. 

The Summit featured a panel discussion with high-level representatives from mining companies and development institutions including Pensana, the Africa Policy Research Institute and the U.S. Development Finance Corporation.

The panel also featured the participation of Clifford Chance, Frost & Sullivan and Chatham House and explored how regional initiatives – such as the Lobito Corridor – have the potential to fast-track Africa’s critical minerals market expansion.  

An Investment Forum held during the Summit showcased innovative financing measures to advance the flow of capital across the African market. The session featured representatives from finance institutions the World Bank, ABSA, Moshe Capital, the African Finance Corporation and ASAFO & Co. 

Additionally, midstream and downstream opportunities were showcased during a panel session that featured the participation of organizations such as Orion Minerals, AZ Arnaturen, Women in Green Hydrogen, Isondo Previous Metals and the Southern African – German Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The panel also featured representatives from Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, the SA-DRC Chamber of Commerce, the Curtin Institute for Energy Transition, the Electric Mobility Association of Kenya and the Congolese Battery Council. 

At CMA 2024, research firms including Rystad Energy, Moore Global and Project Blue presented insights on market trends in the global mining industry, while Tronic Metals, Tanzania’s State Mining Corporation and South Sudan’s state-owned Nilepet provided updates on their activities across the mining value chain. 

A Leaders Forum during the Summit featured the participation of international mining companies Glencore DRC and KoBold Metals as well as representatives from the University of Cape Town and the Minerals Council of South Africa.

The forum showcased how governments across Africa can promote innovation in the continent’s mining space to attract new investment and increase critical minerals production to drive socioeconomic and GDP growth.  

brian@theenergyreview.com