Digging Deeper: Embedding Minerals Sovereignty in Africa’s Mining Value Chains

Image: Getty, Emmanuel Croset
Image: Getty, Emmanuel Croset

Mineral sovereignty is Africa’s right to manage its resources for local development, sustainability and economic independence, however, exploitative practices perpetuate resource and energy poverty across the continent.

Summary:

  • Africa should pursue economic, mineral and energy sovereignty in order to reduce foreign dependence and fully harvest its mineral wealth.
  • A resource leverage strategy is key to shifting Africa from a raw material exporter to a value-added industrial hub, strengthening its role in global supply chains.
  • By strategically renegotiating mining contracts and by linking mineral access to reciprocal agreements on technology sharing and industrial investment, the resource leverage strategy can unlock industrial development.
  • A well-executed resource leverage strategy positions Africa as a key player in the global energy transition while securing long-term economic and developmental benefits.
  • AMREC-PARC enhances resource estimation and valuation, thereby increasing investor confidence and reducing reliance on capital markets such as the London Metal Exchange and the New York Mercantile Exchange.
  • By adopting AMREC-PARC, Africa strengthens its position as a key emerging market in global mining, advancing mineral, energy and economic sovereignty.
  • Achieving mineral and economic sovereignty is not only a moral imperative but a strategic necessity for global sustainability and equitable prosperity.

The views expressed in this publication/article are those of the author/s and do not necessarily reflect the views of the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA).