Africa doesn’t just power the green transition – it can own it. The time to rewrite the rules of resource wealth is now.
By Ethical Business | Solutions Journalism Series
Africa is once again the prize in a global scramble for resources, but this time, the rush is not for oil or gold. It is for the minerals that will define the next industrial revolution.
From cobalt buried deep beneath the soil of the Democratic Republic of Congo to Zimbabwe’s lithium and Malawi’s rare earth elements, Africa holds the keys to the world’s clean energy future; batteries, electric vehicles, wind turbines, solar grids. As Europe and China jostle for control of these supplies, Africa faces a critical question: Will it remain a raw materials pit stop, or become a powerhouse in the green economy?
The answer, increasingly, is up to us, Africans.
The race is on – but at what cost?
China already dominates more than 70% of the global cobalt refining market, much of it sourced from the DRC under opaque deals. The EU, wary of overreliance on Beijing, has responded with its Critical Raw Materials Act – a push to court African countries as alternative suppliers.
But here’s the catch: the model remains painfully familiar. Africa digs. Others profit. The minerals leave. The wealth doesn’t stay.
“Green colonialism” is what critics are calling it; new technology, same exploitation. But this time, African leaders, innovators, and citizens are demanding a different future. Not just to be part of the transition, but to lead it.
Homegrown solutions are shifting the narrative
Across the continent, a new playbook is emerging – one rooted in local value, regional collaboration, and long-overdue accountability.
1. Keep the minerals, add the value
In 2022, Zimbabwe made headlines by banning the export of raw lithium. The move was bold—and controversial. But it sent a powerful message: no more exporting Africa’s future without value added.
Now, companies like Prospect Lithium Zimbabwe, backed by Chinese investment, are building domestic processing plants. It is not yet a full battery supply chain, but it is a critical start toward beneficiation, turning raw minerals into revenue.
Rwanda is following suit, with government-backed investment in refining facilities for tin, tantalum, and tungsten.
“Africa shouldn’t just mine the minerals of the future,” said Claire Akamanzi, former CEO of the Rwanda Development Board.
“We should own the future.”
2. Better contracts. Better deals. Better outcomes.
One of the biggest reasons Africa loses out? Bad contracts. Deals signed behind closed doors, favoring foreign firms over national interest.
That’s changing. The DRC is reviewing multi-billion-dollar contracts with Chinese companies, aiming to renegotiate terms for greater revenue and transparency. In Guinea, public pressure forced changes to a bauxite deal, increasing royalties and mandating local job creation.
Platforms like ResourceContracts.org are equipping citizens and watchdogs with access to the fine print. More sunlight means more leverage—and less exploitation.
3. Unity is leverage: Go regional or go home
Africa’s strength is not just in its soil; it is in its scale. The African Union’s Mining Vision and the AfCFTA offer blueprints for regional cooperation, enabling countries to pool resources, share infrastructure, and build cross-border value chains.
Imagine this: lithium extracted in Zimbabwe, processed in South Africa, and used in electric buses assembled in Kenya. This is not a pipe dream; it is a policy choice.
“If African countries act together, we can set the rules,” says Dr. Fatima Denton of the UN University for Natural Resources in Africa.
“It’s time to move from fragmented deals to collective power.”
4. From mines to minds: Invest in skills and tech
Africa’s most abundant resource isn’t underground, it is its people. Countries like Ghana and Namibia are investing in technical education to build a local workforce of engineers, geologists, and green tech specialists.
At the grassroots, innovation is thriving. Kenyan startups like MobiTech Water Solutions and EV pioneers Roam and Ampersand are proving that African-led innovation can solve African, and global, problems.
What’s missing? Scaled investment and the policy ecosystems to nurture local industry from startup to supply chain.
A Green transition that works for Africa
Here is the truth: the world needs Africa’s minerals. But Africa does not need to play by the old rules. The continent has the leverage, the talent, and increasingly, the political will to shape a new model – one built on fairness, transparency, and value creation.
The green future should not cost Africa its future. It should power it.
Ethical Business Analysis
Africa is at a crossroads. One path leads to more of the same: extraction without empowerment. The other? A transformative green economy owned and driven by Africans. From policy reforms to processing plants, from contract transparency to technical training, the solutions are already taking root.
Now it is time to scale them – and flip the script on how the world sources sustainability.
