As demand for green minerals grows and global competition for access to these minerals intensifies, it is essential that Africa positions itself strategically in green technology value chains and ensures that it derives maximum benefit from its resources while ensuring that the exploitation of these resources occurs in a socially and environmentally responsible manner.
The South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) joins the African Union in proudly announcing the launch of the African Green Minerals Observatory (AGMO). This groundbreaking online resource provides comprehensive information on green minerals across the African continent.
Africa possesses about 30% of known global critical mineral reserves yet it is also one of the most underexplored regions, receiving less than 20% of global mineral exploration spending. The continent has long sought to move beyond the export-oriented “pit-to-port” model that characterises the African mining sector. The vast majority of Africa’s mineral resources continue to be exported as unprocessed ores with processing and the production of green technologies taking place elsewhere. It is vital that Africa builds domestic processing capacity in order to generate green jobs and drive green industrialisation on the continent. This will require policy coordination, the development of regional value chains on the continent, enhanced skills and institutional capacity, and the engagement of a broad set of stakeholders.
The AGMO website seeks to support these objectives by providing detailed country and mineral profiles, offering insights into the vast potential of Africa’s green mineral resources. It is also a resource for key policies, reports and news related to African green minerals. In its first phase, the Observatory has focused on a set of eight green minerals and seven African countries (Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Madagascar, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe) with plans to expand coverage in subsequent phases.
The Observatory is a collaborative initiative between the African Union’s African Mineral Development Centre and SAIIA, which serves as the technical partner. This initiative aligns with the goals of the Africa Mining Vision and will play an important part in supporting the African Green Minerals Strategy. It also speaks to global efforts to support responsible exploitation of green minerals through initiatives such as the United Nations Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals, which recently released a report outlining principles for enhancing transparency and investment and ensuring just and equitable management of sustainable, responsible and reliable value chains for terrestrial critical energy transition minerals.
SAIIA is proud to contribute to the African green minerals agenda through research, policy engagement and capacity building. This has included work on applying strategic foresight approaches to promote anticipatory governance and sustainable pathways towards the development of the continent’s green minerals. The Institute will continue to work closely with the African Union, the African Development Bank and other key regional institutions to promote ambitious, integrated and evidence-based implementation of the African Mining Vision and the forthcoming African Green Minerals Strategy.
Explore the African Green Minerals Observatory: www.africangreenminerals.com
View SAIIA’s work on these themes:
For more details about the Observatory, contact Alex Benkenstein, Programme Head: Climate Change and Natural Resources at Alex.Benkenstein@saiia.org.za.
