최신자료
Unlocking Africa’s critical minerals for broad-based prosperity and global competitiveness
The race for critical minerals is on.1 The demand is high and growing: By 2040, 4.5 times as much lithium and 2.3 times as much graphite will be needed.2 But mining and processing are highly concentrated: For most critical minerals, the top three global producers account for more than 50% of output.3 Of these top producers, China is responsible for 60% of global mining output and 91% of global production such as separation and refining.4 The world depends on China’s processed minerals for a wide range of industries at the core of the global economy and technology, such as magnets used in cars, data centers, defense technologies, industrial motors, and other applications in energy and AI.5 However, the lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and the changing geopolitical winds call for greater supply chain resilience and a more diverse set of trusted suppliers.
In Africa, extraction plays a large role (accounting for 76% of global manganese and 69% of cobalt) but refining is much more limited (9% for copper, <5% for other key minerals).6 Despite accounting for less than 1% of the global value from clean energy technologies and components manufacturing,7 Africa is well-positioned to become one of these trusted partners to the world―but the continent needs to jump on the opportunity quickly.
However, Africa should not rush blindly into the critical minerals race. The continent can draw on its many lessons and experiences to make this opportunity work for its citizens, the environment, and future generations. For this essay, rather than focus on the actions needed to make the mining of critical minerals a success (these are covered in detail in our recent paper “Leveraging US-Africa critical mineral opportunities”)8, we instead focus on the opportunities the region has to leverage this juncture to create more high-quality jobs, develop a vibrant ecosystem of businesses in the mining value chain, and close the infrastructure gap to serve the mining sector and beyond.
In Africa, extraction plays a large role (accounting for 76% of global manganese and 69% of cobalt) but refining is much more limited (9% for copper, <5% for other key minerals).6 Despite accounting for less than 1% of the global value from clean energy technologies and components manufacturing,7 Africa is well-positioned to become one of these trusted partners to the world―but the continent needs to jump on the opportunity quickly.
However, Africa should not rush blindly into the critical minerals race. The continent can draw on its many lessons and experiences to make this opportunity work for its citizens, the environment, and future generations. For this essay, rather than focus on the actions needed to make the mining of critical minerals a success (these are covered in detail in our recent paper “Leveraging US-Africa critical mineral opportunities”)8, we instead focus on the opportunities the region has to leverage this juncture to create more high-quality jobs, develop a vibrant ecosystem of businesses in the mining value chain, and close the infrastructure gap to serve the mining sector and beyond.
많이 본 자료
![[2025.07] 대출규제](/userdata/main/incContent/sideLink/23/aaaqQGcnBTcOc8zW9uLNz20251015165742zqfnw.png)
![[사람이 되고 싶어요2] 환율의 변화](/userdata/main/incContent/sideLink/22/aaaqQGcnBTcOc8zW9uLNz20251015165408vtzoa.jpg)
