POWERING THE FUTURE
Africa’s moment is now with a store of 30% of critical energy-transition minerals.
“The clean energy transition has unleashed unprecedented demand for key minerals and metals. Lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese and graphite are crucial to battery performance, longevity and energy density. Rare-earth elements are essential for permanent magnets used in wind turbines and electric vehicle (EV) motors, while copper underpins electricity-related technologies. These so-called critical minerals and metals are considered the building blocks for the green and digital economy, without which there will be no batteries, no EVs, no wind turbines and no solar panels”
A Report, ‘Battery Metals 2023: Powering the green economy’ compiled by Mining Weekly, 2023.
Consider that a critical mineral for society was once table salt. Critical minerals are those mineral resources essential to the economy whose supply may be disrupted. Today’s ‘salt’ is battery metals. The predominant driver underpinning huge-volume demand for current critical minerals is the renewable energy transition. Metals valued at around $6 trillion will be needed to meet the demand by 2050, according to Bloomberg’s New Energy Outlook’s (BNEF) economic transition scenario. This exponentially shoots up to $10 000 trillion to match demand to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Yet, the supply of critical metals needed for the substantial energy transition for a low-carbon economy is constrained.
A solution to the strained demand-supply equation potentially lies in tapping Africa’s in-ground geological reserves which comprise 30% of the world’s energy transition and critical minerals.
Lending context to Africa’s opportunity, due to significant recent geopolitical shifts, the fragmentation of global supply chains post-COVID-19, and realignment, Africa is now in the advantageous position of being the preferred strategic source of raw material supply chains.
These developments strategically align with Africa’s vision of achieving minerals-based industrialization through value-addition and creating robust regional supply chains, central to global economic growth.
With worldwide demand disproportionately exceeding supply, this is an exciting window of opportunity for emerging mining jurisdictions in Africa. Realising this potential is reliant upon investment in early-stage exploration. Timely investment in African mining can mitigate the current raw material scarcity, intermittent supply and consequent high prices.
![Africa Projects [map]](https://greenafricaminerals.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/africa-projects-map-2.svg)
This modern minerals rush and economic boom must be a win-win. Given historic exploitation and lessons learnt, Africa is wisely determined to ensure the continent and its people fairly benefit from mineral exploration and extraction.
Local beneficiation and value retention will be prioritised to ensure mining and processing of green metals in Africa are done justly and sustainably. Beneficiation is the value-added processing of the raw mineral material produced by mining and extraction processes to a more finished product, which attracts a higher export sales value.
Green Africa Minerals’ vision is to boost local value in Africa by turning its vast mineral wealth into widespread prosperity for investors, miners, communities, and various other stakeholders. Our initial focus is on African mining jurisdictions with concentrations of diverse green minerals including Tanzania, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
