PARIS, 29 August. - (ANA) - Around 15 African countries that produce cobalt, manganese or lithium have imposed embargoes or quotas since 2023, forcing foreign operators to invest locally in the processing of these minerals., according to the French daily Le Monde.

 

Africa has been gradually claiming its place in the race for critical minerals. The continent's subsoil contains about one-third of the metals essential for the energy transition, semiconductor manufacturing and the defense industry, such as cobalt, manganese and lithium.

 

Yet for a long time, Africa stood by as a spectator to the geopolitical struggle among the world's major powers over control of these resources. Ninety-five percent of its critical minerals leave the continent unprocessed, to be refined elsewhere, mainly in China. 

 

As a result, only a small share of the economic value generated by these resources remain in African countries.

 

Faced with this glaring imbalance, a handful of states have recently imposed restrictions on raw-material exports to better capitalize on the financial windfall from the new mining boom. This trend, aimed at adding value to mining resources, has come to be known as "resource nationalism" and seeks to build refineries, achieve technology transfers, create jobs and broaden the tax base.

 

The phenomenon extends beyond Africa. "Roughly 70% of global exports of cobalt and manganese were subject to at least one export restriction between 2022 and 2024," noted the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in a report.   - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/29 August 2026 - - -