From apathy to action: Africa’s role in deep seabed mining

Africa was instrumental in establishing the deep seabed mining regime under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea but became apathetic following the 1994 Implementation Agreement. Currently, Africa is the only regional group that has not sponsored an entity to explore the international seabed area (the Area). While the African Union and the UN Economic Commission for Africa have integrated DSM into blue economy strategies and roadmaps, implementation has lagged. The report argues that investing in DSM is strategically appropriate for Africa as the global transition to a low-carbon economy may impact terrestrial mining. It recommends that African states consider sponsoring exploration contracts and that the AU adopt the Lomé Annexes and revise its Integrated Maritime Strategy to provide a clear legal and policy framework for DSM.

• Africa played a critical role in the early development of the deep seabed mining regime, with ten African states sponsoring the resolution that led the UN General Assembly to create committees to study the peaceful use of the seabed beyond national jurisdiction.
• Despite its early involvement, Africa is currently the only regional group within the International Seabed Authority (ISA) that has not sponsored a state or private entity to secure a contract for exploration in the international seabed area.
• The African regional group in the ISA is actively contributing to the development of exploitation regulations, focusing on the 'Common Heritage of Mankind' principle, the Africa Mining Vision, and the operationalization of the Enterprise.
• The African Union has identified deep seabed mining as a critical growth area within its blue economy frameworks, specifically mentioning it in Agenda 2063 and the 2019 Blue Economy Strategy.
• The UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) developed a strategic roadmap in 2020 with seven goals to facilitate Africa's engagement with DSM, including the development of a legal regulatory framework and applying for exploration contracts, though the author notes no progress in implementing these goals.
• Investing in deep seabed mining is presented as a strategic necessity for Africa because the global transition to a low-carbon economy will likely affect terrestrial mining industries.

APA

Egede, E. (2022). From apathy to action: Africa’s role in deep seabed mining. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ar-39.pdf

Chicago

Egede, Edwin. From apathy to action: Africa’s role in deep seabed mining. Institute for Security Studies, 2022. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ar-39.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Egede |first1=Edwin |title=From apathy to action: Africa’s role in deep seabed mining |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=June 2022 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ar-39.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{egede2022from, author = {Egede, Edwin}, title = {{From apathy to action: Africa’s role in deep seabed mining}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2022}, month = jun, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ar-39.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }