Short Abstract

This roundtable explores initiatives to ‘add value’ to African critical mineral exports. It will examine how African governments, communities, companies and civil society actors are seeking to overcome the ‘resource curse' and ensure economic and social benefits, while limiting environmental damage.

Long Abstract

Production of critical/transitional minerals - vital for clean energy and global net zero targets - is booming in Africa. While mineral exports boost GDP, there is a risk that African states and societies will see little or no sustained benefit from such exports, replicating historical patterns of exploitation. African governments, individually and collectively, have proposed ways to add value to critical mineral production by requiring mine companies to invest in local refining and/or industrialization, support local value chains, and otherwise share the wealth generated by African minerals. Local authorities and civil society organizations, sharing these goals but with their own visions of how to ensure mineral wealth is not exclusively divided between foreign mine investors and (often unaccountable) African governments, have advanced their own proposals to add value to critical mineral production. Mine-affected communities, hoping to benefit from wealth generated by critical mineral production, but with their own concerns about the social impact and environmental pollution resulting from it, have in some cases advanced alternative visions of how to add value to these investments.

This roundtable seeks to analyze current initiatives to 'add value' to African critical minerals. Researchers working on existing and new critical mineral production sites will unpack these initiatives to assess both the desirability and feasibility of African attempts to ensure the continent and its peoples receive a greater share of the benefits of globally significant mineral production than in the past, while avoiding its worst costs.

Propose contribution