Can Africa's critical minerals power the next industrial boom?
Africa – and South Africa – must harness its rich endowment of critical minerals to create an industrial powerhouse which can lead the green energy revolution. This, according to Gauteng Growth and Development Agency executive, Sthembiso Dlamini, who addressed the African Critical Minerals Summit in Johannesburg on Monday, 25 August 2025.
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The continent boasts vast deposits of minerals such as platinum, manganese and lithium, which are critical for renewable energy technology.
At centre of it all
Dlamini noted that these minerals stand at the “centre of the global energy transition, technological advancement, and industrial development”.
“From cobalt and lithium to rare earth and platinum group metals, Africa holds most of the most strategic mineral deposits in the world.
"Yet the question before us is how do we move beyond simply being exporters of raw resources to becoming global leaders in beneficiation, industrialisation, and sustainable growth.
“Africa holds nearly a third of the world’s critical mineral reserves, making it central to the global energy transition.
"The continent is home to over 70% of platinum and chromium, nearly half of cobalt and manganese, and the world's largest phosphate…reserves.
“With the African Continental Free Trade Area as a unifying framework, these resources can power regional value chains from beneficiation and processing to advance manufacturing instead of exporting (raw ores),” she said.
Dlamini highlighted that with its rich endowment in critical minerals, the continent can build “industries that supply batteries, electric vehicles, and renewable technologies”.
Driving industrialisation
Furthermore, this can turn the mineral wealth into a “driver of industrialisation, sustainable growth and continental integration” with beneficiation at the centre.
“Advancing beneficiation in Africa is not just an economic imperative. It is a developmental necessity. By processing and adding value to our minerals locally, we create jobs, we stimulate new industries and build stronger linkages across manufacturing, energy, and technology centres.
“This is how we unlock greater returns for our people and ensure that the wealth of our natural resources translates into long-term prosperity.
"Equally, industrialisation anchored on the critical mineral sector offers Africa a once-in-a-generation opportunity.
"If managed well, it can serve as the backbone of a new supply chain in green technologies, batteries, electric vehicles, and renewable energy.
“By leveraging regional integration, infrastructure development and public-private partnership, Africa can really shift from being at the margins of global venue chains to being at the heart of them,” she said.
Dlamini put forward that the approach to growth must be sustainable for communities and the environment.
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“Our approach to critical minerals must balance economic opportunity with environmental stewardship and social responsibility.
“Communities must benefit directly. Ecosystems must be protected, and governance structures must guarantee transparency and accountability.
"Only then can Africa's critical minerals become a catalyst for inclusive and resilient growth,” Dlamini said.