Six African countries now support calls for a precautionary pause or moratorium on deep-sea mining, as concerns grow over the environmental and economic risks of extracting critical minerals from the ocean floor, particularly while vast mineral reserves on the continent remain unexplored.
Amid a growing global push to explore the ocean for critical minerals, Mauritius, Mozambique and the Republic of the Congo announced support for a precautionary pause during the International Seabed Authority (ISA) meeting in Kingston, Jamaica, in July 2026.
They joined Malawi, Kenya and Madagascar, bringing the number of African countries backing a pause to six and strengthening the continent’s position in ISA negotiations, where African states hold 10 of the 36 Council seats.
Globally, about 40 countries have formally called for a moratorium or precautionary pause, according to the ISA, although campaign groups using broader definitions put the figure higher.
The growing African bloc gives the continent a stronger voice in an industry that could unlock new supplies of critical minerals for electric vehicles, renewable energy and defence, while potentially weakening Africa’s advantage as a major source of land-based minerals.
