By: Channel Africa

Africa’s diverse mineral resource has seen the continent emerge as a central supplier of key raw materials such as cobalt, lithium, graphite, and rare earth elements.

Rare earth elements are key components used in electric vehicles, renewable energy systems, and advanced electronics.

However, the economic benefits are yet to be fully realised in most of these resource rich nations. Over the past few years, a growing number of governments on the continent have implemented restrictions on the export of unprocessed minerals in an effort to encourage local value addition and downstream investment.

Zimbabwe banned the export of raw lithium in 2022 and has already recorded significant Chinese-backed investment in local processing facilities

The rising global demand for critical minerals has seen a new scramble for Africa taking place. The high demand for the continent’s rare earth elements has led to powerful nations like China pushing for more investments in the mining sector.

In Zimbabwe, Chinese-owned companies account for over half of Zimbabwe’s mining industry.

But tension is brewing with several of the companies having been implicated for labour and rights abuses, displacement of local communities and environmental abuses.