Maximise benefits of critical minerals to unlock energy transition

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OPINION

By Gerald Barekye

Every day, media reports about the Energy transition and many NGO’s have come up to advocate for the energy transition from fossil fuel to clean, renewable energy sources. This campaign has also increased human rights violations, especially for the youth activists against the construction of the ongoing EACOP project.

Almost every month, we see youth activists against the EACOP project being arrested whenever they come out to express themselves through peaceful demonstrations. But as this discussion and demonstrations go on, have we as a country given attention to the minerals that are needed to power the energy transition?

In March 2023, the European Commission proposed a package of actions under the EU’s Critical Raw Materials (CRM) Act to ensure the EU’s access to a secure, diversified, affordable and sustainable supply of critical raw materials. The EU noted that critical raw materials are indispensable for a wide set of strategic sectors, including the net-zero industry, the digital industry, aerospace, and defence sectors.

To break the story back, Africa’s critical raw materials offer a unique opportunity for the continent to leapfrog traditional fossil fuel-based energy systems and transition directly to renewable energy sources. The available information indicates that global demand for critical raw minerals such as lithium, graphite, rare earth and others will rise by 500% by 2050.  The EU and other industrialised countries will drive this demand. It should be noted that Africa hosts 30% of the global critical raw minerals reserves and the leaders of Africa. For instance, Uganda and the DRC host reserves of critical raw minerals, with the DRC being a leading producer of cobalt and one of the leading producers of copper.

The US-led Mineral Security Partnership which includes the European Union and other most powerful economies from the OECD bloc, is positioning itself in Africa’s resource-rich countries of and African countries should prepare in advance to be the first beneficiary of its critical minerals.

Over the years, China has been the dominant player in mining and processing these minerals from Africa. However, Europe and others are interested in stopping China’s dominance of the critical minerals sector through EU’s Critical Raw Minerals Act (CRMA) and the focus will be on Africa of which African leaders need to strategic and be alert to fully benefit from these minerals and put strategize in place to mitigate the mining environmental dangers.

It should be noted that for too long, Africa has supplied the raw materials which has driven development abroad, while the continent remains locked in endless cycles of poverty at home.  This has been happening even before Western European colonial powers carved up the African continent in the 19th century’s exporting rubber, diamonds, gold, ivory, palm oil and other wealth to process and transform it into saleable commodities. 

However, we need to examine the impacts of mining on biodiversity because mining for critical raw materials presents risks to people and the environment in Africa, including forced displacements, child labour and other impacts.

In addition, Africa stands to continue being a source of raw materials while its populations remain without access to resources to drive a clean and just energy transition. To prevent this, African youth, women, and civil society actors need to be empowered to understand what the EU’s CRMA means for their countries and ways they can influence it to benefit communities in their countries.

Our continent is poised to play a vital role in the global energy transition, and its critical raw materials are at the forefront of this revolution. The continent is home to an abundance of minerals essential for the production of renewable energy technologies, energy storage, and electric vehicles, of which Africans should be the first beneficiaries.

African leaders should know that Africa's critical raw materials are a game-changer for the energy transition in Africa. The continent has the potential to become a leading player in the global renewable energy market, creating jobs, driving economic growth, and improving energy security.

For Africa to fully benefit from its rich minerals, there are certain things that should be done, including creating regional collaboration to ensure that Africa gains its rightful place in the new power map drawn by the energy transition. Further, the African Union, the Southern African Development Community and other regional blocs should play a pivotal role in this process, promoting intra-regional trade and economic cohesion. 

In addition, the African civil society should work across borders to ensure that deals signed by African governments with consumer regions reflect the continent’s collective interests, and we need to unite with our leaders around a just vision for our minerals. That’s only when the continent can truly benefit from these minerals and turn the page on a history of exploitation and underdevelopment. 

Finally, African leaders need a deep rethink on how they address their vast development challenges if it is to meet the goals of Agenda 2063, the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and various national development goals, while positioning themselves at the centre of the global clean energy transition agenda.

The writer is the Executive Director at Centre for Environment Research and Agricultural Innovations