Speaking at the Critical Minerals Africa 2024 summit, Mabena explained that most mineral-rich countries in the region are still in the exploration phase but have the potential to play a central part in global supply chains.

“While some projects have reached development stages, production in a few member countries remains well below Africa’s potential,” stated Mabena. He believes that “several large deposits were discovered by chance, not from systematic exploration. However, with countries like Tanzania, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia prioritizing drilling and geo-mapping activities, this trend is poised to change.

While Africa has long-held critical minerals, their role in sustainable development is gaining priority only now due to the global shift toward alternative energy sources, according to Mabena. To expand Africa’s contribution to the energy transition, Mabena emphasized the importance of regional cooperation in terms of infrastructure and policy alignment to attract investment across the entire region and not only in individual countries.

“Africa must establish itself as a competitive force in response to demand from Europe, the West and Asia. We want to see greater progress in advancing industry growth through investments in value addition,” added Mabena, highlighting the need for downstream investments to create jobs and high-value products for clean energy solutions.