The Geopolitics of Critical Minerals in Africa

The report analyzes the competition between China and Western powers (US and EU) for Africa's critical minerals, specifically focusing on the Lobito and TAZARA corridors. It argues that African nations can avoid 'extractivism' by coordinating regional processing hubs and leveraging the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to build a domestic e-mobility value chain.

• Africa holds approximately 30% of global critical mineral reserves, including 80% of platinum group metals, 70% of global cobalt production, and 36% of manganese.
• China maintains a dominant position in the downstream processing of critical minerals, controlling 95% of manganese processing, 65% of cobalt processing, and 58% of global lithium refining.
• The Lobito Corridor, backed by over $10 billion in multilateral funding from the US, EU, and African Development Bank, serves as a Western-led alternative to Chinese supply chains, potentially reducing transport costs for the DRC and Zambia by two-thirds.
• China is investing $1.4 billion to rehabilitate the TAZARA railway to quadruple its freight capacity from 500,000 to 2 million tons annually, securing eastward access to Asian markets.
• African nations are implementing national strategies to capture more value; for example, Namibia banned the export of unprocessed lithium, cobalt, manganese, graphite, and rare earths in 2023 to encourage domestic processing.
• The DRC is moving toward domestic processing with a hydro-metallurgical plant in Lualaba Province, scheduled to open in 2027, which is expected to produce 5,000 tonnes of cobalt sulfate and 30,000 tonnes of copper cathodes annually.
• Africa's demand for battery storage is projected to reach 7 gigawatt-hours by 2030, primarily driven by stationary battery energy storage systems and electric two- and three-wheelers.
• Mining operations place severe strain on national energy grids, consuming 55% of the DRC's and 52% of Zambia's national electricity generation.
• Southern Africa attracts less than 10% of global mining exploration spending despite possessing 30% of known reserves.
• The report proposes a transcontinental network connecting the Lobito and TAZARA corridors to establish regional hubs: rare-earth refineries in Angola, cobalt and copper refineries in the DRC and Zambia, and lithium refineries in Zimbabwe.
• Integrating these corridors and establishing regional value-addition hubs could increase the continent's GDP by an estimated 12%.

APA

Zongwe, L., Chituta, K., & Ndabvonga, T. (2025). The Geopolitics of Critical Minerals in Africa. African Future Policies Hub. https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/b2d05cc3-7b8c-4f0d-a62a-66af7434f28f/downloads/d9fc11a2-1447-4d72-a776-22a928b2efea/Enzi%20ijayo%20report%20-%20The%20Geopolitics%20of%20Critica.pdf?ver=1780902965291

Chicago

Zongwe, Leezola, Kasonde Chituta, and Takudzwa Ndabvonga. The Geopolitics of Critical Minerals in Africa. African Future Policies Hub, 2025. https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/b2d05cc3-7b8c-4f0d-a62a-66af7434f28f/downloads/d9fc11a2-1447-4d72-a776-22a928b2efea/Enzi%20ijayo%20report%20-%20The%20Geopolitics%20of%20Critica.pdf?ver=1780902965291.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Zongwe |first1=Leezola |last2=Chituta |first2=Kasonde |last3=Ndabvonga |first3=Takudzwa |title=The Geopolitics of Critical Minerals in Africa |publisher=African Future Policies Hub |date=November 2025 |url=https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/b2d05cc3-7b8c-4f0d-a62a-66af7434f28f/downloads/d9fc11a2-1447-4d72-a776-22a928b2efea/Enzi%20ijayo%20report%20-%20The%20Geopolitics%20of%20Critica.pdf?ver=1780902965291 |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{zongwe2025geopolitics, author = {Zongwe, Leezola and Chituta, Kasonde and Ndabvonga, Takudzwa}, title = {{The Geopolitics of Critical Minerals in Africa}}, institution = {African Future Policies Hub}, year = {2025}, month = nov, url = {https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/b2d05cc3-7b8c-4f0d-a62a-66af7434f28f/downloads/d9fc11a2-1447-4d72-a776-22a928b2efea/Enzi%20ijayo%20report%20-%20The%20Geopolitics%20of%20Critica.pdf?ver=1780902965291}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }