From Extraction to Manufacturing: Africa’s Mineral Strategy Under the Spotlight
From Extraction to Manufacturing: Africa’s Mineral Strategy Under the Spotlight
"We need to be able to explore the strength and opportunity across the partners, across the minerals, and across products and then start to formulate organizations that mimic even organizations like OPEC; we must start having control of the market as well. So, it's a mixture of a lot of things that are layers that sit on each other, which are then key drivers and lubricants for attaining a better Africa through the critical minerals, through value addition, and through our strategic position in the geopolitical world."
Africa’s vast reserves of lithium, cobalt, platinum, and rare earth elements are increasingly shaping global supply chains. But according to Dr. Tafadzwa Mupingashato, the continent’s real power will not come from extraction alone; it will come from controlling value chains, strengthening manufacturing, and coordinating policy across borders.
On #GlobalSouthPole, the techno-mineral economist and Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Thabo Mbeki African School of Public and International Affairs explains why energy infrastructure, aligned education systems, and regional cooperation are critical pillars for turning mineral wealth into industrial strength. He argues that fragmented markets weaken Africa’s bargaining power, while a unified strategy could reposition the continent from raw supplier to strategic producer.
The episode explores beneficiation, industrial capacity, economic independence, regional coordination, and how Africa can convert its mineral advantage into long-term structural transformation.
⌨ Can Africa move from exporting ore to exporting finished products at scale? Share your thoughts in the comments
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