- As global demand for critical minerals vital to the energy transition accelerates, African leaders are championing a new approach.
- Uganda’s Minister of Energy and Mineral Development called for African ownership stakes in mining projects and the creation of mineral wealth funds.
As global demand for critical minerals vital to the energy transition accelerates, African leaders are championing a new approach.
As global demand for critical minerals vital to the energy transition accelerates, African leaders are championing a new approach—prioritising local beneficiation, fostering regional collaboration, and negotiating fairer, more strategic mining partnerships.
At the Africa Energy Forum in Cape Town, ministers and senior officials from Uganda, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria delivered a clear message – Africa must no longer be relegated to the role of raw material exporter. They tackled the topic Global Demand for Critical Minerals: Africa’s Big Opportunity.
Uganda’s Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, Ruth Nankabirwa Ssentamu, called for a shift from extractive dependency to domestic industrialisation, citing lithium as a key opportunity.
Senior Executive Vice President, Afreximbank Group, Denys Denya, stated the critical need to prioritise the interests and well-being of local mining communities in the extraction and processing of Africa’s mineral resources.
“Renewable energy like solar requires storage… and that means lithium. If you have lithium in your country, you must focus on value addition.
“We are manufacturing cars and buses in Uganda. We are building charging stations. These industries must be based in Uganda… not elsewhere,” she explained.
Ssentamu highlighted the country’s efforts to align its mining sector with domestic industrial development.
Uganda is establishing mineral beneficiation programmes, entering regional energy partnerships with Tanzania to support low-carbon processing and enabling private-sector investment through rebate schemes for power infrastructure.
“Nobody should stop you from exploiting your natural resources responsibly. We are firm on this, and we are training Ugandans to negotiate better deals and demand more.”
We have what the world needs. This time, we will not give it away ‘Mining royalties are not enough’
Sierra Leone’s Kandeh Yumkella, Chair of the Presidential Initiative for Climate Change, Renewable Energy and Food Security, agreed with Ssentamu, urging a reset of the continent’s mining model.
“We exported over $1.2 billion in minerals last year. Less than $40 million went to the treasury. Royalties are not enough,” he said.
Yumkella called for African ownership stakes in mining projects and the creation of mineral wealth funds.
“We must move beyond liberalisation and take equity. Look at the Gulf… they own the oil and the refineries. We must do the same with minerals.”
He also raised concerns about unregulated co-location of valuable resources.
“In Sierra Leone, our titanium deposits sit alongside rare earths and lithium, yet companies extract the ore and leave with associated metals. Without local refining, we lose everything.”
Yumkella said Sierra Leone is now developing a strategy to power its mining sector through new hydropower and solar plants while serving surrounding communities.
“Our mining sector needs over 500MW in the next six years. We want to use that demand to anchor broader energy development. No more mining towns without clean water or electricity.”
He emphasised regional collaboration, citing efforts among Guinea, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire and Sierra Leone to pool energy resources and develop joint refining capacity.
“Together, we’re sitting on some of the world’s most important deposits… iron, bauxite, titanium. We can’t keep negotiating individually. We must think collectively and act strategically.”
Olusegun Ige, Director-General of the Nigeria Geological Survey Agency, outlined the country’s reforms aimed at increasing investor confidence while ensuring beneficiation.
He noted, “Nigeria has stopped the ‘beach to port’ model,” he said, referring to the direct export of unprocessed minerals. We now mandate value addition in-country.”
Ige described geological mapping as a national priority, with recent surveys revealing that “every kilometre in Nigeria is mineralised.”
To support investor access and transparency, the country has launched an online mineral resource decision-support system, alongside a mining cadastre portal to streamline licensing.
“We’re offering incentives… tax holidays, duty-free equipment imports… but also investing in local lithium processing and battery manufacturing,” he said.
Nigeria is also tightening regulations through the establishment of mining marshals, a security force dedicated to eliminating illegal mining and protecting formal operations.
Across the panel, speakers acknowledged the need for capacity building and knowledge sharing. Yumkella called for African centres of excellence to develop technical expertise in refining and beneficiation.
“You cannot just ban exports unless you have the capacity to refine. But we can build that capacity, together.”
With the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and other supply chain rules now taking effect, the panellists warned that Africa must also green its mining operations to stay competitive.
“Our value chains must meet global standards. But they must also deliver energy and opportunity to our people,” said Yumkella.
As the critical minerals race accelerates, Africa’s leaders are determined to set the terms.
“We have what the world needs. This time, we will not give it away,” said Ssentamu.