As the world shifts to clean energy, minerals such as lithium, cobalt and manganese have become as important as oil once was. Africa holds large reserves of these critical minerals. Yet they are mostly exported as raw materials, returning as expensive green technologies made in factories overseas. South Africa’s G20 presidency set up a new critical minerals framework that aims to help Africa’s mineral-rich countries benefit more from local processing and manufacturing. Geoscientists Glen Nwaila and Grant Bybee explain what’s needed to extract the minerals safely and turn underground wealth into economic value in Africa.
What are critical minerals and how do they fit into Africa’s resources landscape?
Cobalt, manganese, natural graphite, copper, nickel, lithium and iron ore are all critical for building solar panels, wind turbines, electric vehicle batteries, and other green energy equipment.
