For Deprose Muchena, director of the Resources Futures in Africa programme at the Open Society Foundations, the race for Africa’s critical minerals feels like a historical echo all the way from 1885 and the “Scramble for Africa.”
The world’s major powers are once again converging on Africa, only this time, the competition is sharper, the players more diverse, and the stakes are tied directly to the global energy transition.
“Africa holds a commanding share of the world’s critical minerals,” Muchena notes.
“48% of global cobalt and manganese reserves, 22% of graphite, and around 6% of nickel and lithium.”
With the continent now central to the future of clean energy, electric mobility, and technological innovation, Muchena emphasises the scale of the challenge.
