As global energy markets pivot toward a low-carbon future, Africa’s critical mineral wealth is emerging not merely as an export commodity but as a foundation for industrial transformation – a message emphasised by Professor Ivan Cardillo, founder and chairman of the Institute of Chinese Law, during the webinar – Toward a Shared Green Future: China, Africa and the Strategic Reconfiguration of Global Energy Transmission, jointly organised by the Africa-China Centre for Policy and Advisory (ACCPA) and the Institute of Chinese Law.
“Africa’s dominance of certain critical minerals represents an opportunity for value addition,” Professor Cardillo said, urging policymakers and private sector leaders to pursue strategic value addition rather than continued reliance on raw commodity exports.
Africa holds a commanding share of the world’s transition-critical resources. Cobalt, manganese, and graphite – essential for electric vehicles, solar panels, and battery storage – are disproportionately concentrated on the continent. Recent assessments estimate that Africa accounts for roughly 30% of global critical mineral reserves, including almost half of the world’s manganese and cobalt deposits.
Yet the continent still largely exports these minerals in raw form, a pattern that Professor Cardillo described as a missed economic opportunity. “African countries are losing potential revenues by focusing on raw commodity exports,” he said.
This observation echoes findings in external analyses showing that Chinese firms have long been active across Africa’s mineral sectors, often importing unprocessed ores for refining in Chinese facilities.
Instead of exporting unprocessed materials, Professor Cardillo outlined a suite of industrial and policy tools African governments could adopt to capture more of the value chain. These include:
- Local content mandates requiring a share of processing or manufacturing to occur domestically.
- Refinery and economic zone incentives to attract investment into downstream activities.
- Linking royalties to finished outputs to encourage local beneficiation rather than raw exports.
- Regional integration to prevent redundant capacity and build shared manufacturing ecosystems.
“African governments can adopt industrial policies and incentives for processing to capture more value,” he stated.
While many discussions of China–Africa relations focus on mining, China’s role in supporting energy infrastructure and industrial development across Africa has broadened significantly in recent years.
According to official Chinese cooperation frameworks, Beijing has pledged support for Africa’s mineral value-chain upgrading through direct investments in refining, processing and special economic zones – goals underscored in the Beijing Action Plan (2025–27) emerging from the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).
Chinese power companies have also been pivotal in expanding renewable energy projects across the continent, with solar, wind, and hydropower developments accounting for over half of China’s total African energy portfolio.
This aligns with Professor Cardillo’s argument that African states can leapfrog traditional fossil-fuel infrastructure by investing in clean energy transmission – a lesson drawn in part from China’s own rapid build-out of renewable grids. Africa can build out renewable transmission smarter, bypassing legacy systems that once held back growth in other regions, he said.
China is not Africa’s sole development partner, but its footprint is among the most extensive. Chinese investment in rail, mining infrastructure, and energy systems continues alongside rival initiatives backed by the United States and Europe – a geopolitical dynamic evident in competing rail projects in Zambia and the DRC.
Additionally, China remains Africa’s largest trading partner, with total trade exceeding hundreds of billions of dollars annually and deepening ties in intermediate goods, manufactured technology, and renewables.
Yet this complex relationship presents both opportunities and challenges. African policymakers seeking to capture more value must negotiate terms that balance foreign investment with local industrial growth – a theme Professor Cardillo called central to Africa’s strategic agency in the 21st century.
The webinar concluded with a shared recognition that Africa’s value addition imperative extends beyond national policy into multilateral cooperation, including partnerships with China, the U.S., the EU, and regional blocs like the African Continental Free Trade Area.
