From the copper belts of Zambia and the lithium and cobalt deposits in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to the manganese mines in Gabon, the African continent holds much of the promise of the world’s transition to a clean energy future.
With critical minerals being core ingredients of nearly all clean energy technologies, the World Economic Forum predicts that around three billion tonnes of metal are needed for the world to attain Net Zero emissions by 2050.1 African supplies – both those accessible now and those currently in the ground – are key to achieving that goal. We examine the drivers for sustainable critical mineral mining development in Africa and the challenges and opportunities it presents.
In terms of battery metals, Africa produces cobalt (with the DRC having over 70% of global production and huge supplies) and graphite (in Mozambique and Madagascar, with Tanzania also having significant reserves).
Tirupati Graphite PLC (LON:TGR) is a fully integrated specialist graphite and graphene producer, with operations in Madagascar and India. The Company is delivering on this strategy by being fully integrated from mine to graphene. Its global multi-location operations include primary mining and processing in Madagascar, hi-tech graphite processing in India to produce specialty graphite, and a state-of-art graphene and technology R&D center to be established in India.
