As Opec shapes oil, so must Africa define the mineral economy

Zawya

18-06-2025

Africa stands at the centre of the global mineral economy.
As nations race to secure their future, the minerals driving clean energy, advanced industry, and modern defence have become instruments of power. No longer mere inputs, they now determine who leads and who lags behind. Cobalt, lithium, rare earths, graphite, and manganese have moved from being niche industrial inputs to becoming central pillars of global power.
They are no longer materials in the background. Today, they shape the technologies that drive economies, structure energy systems, and define military strength. They shape everything from how we drive and power our homes to how nations secure their technological edge. What was once seen as raw material is now strategic infrastructure. And Africa sits on more of it than most care to admit.
These are not side notes in global supply chains. They are signs of Africa's rising strategic relevance. The continent's resources do more than power technology. They define leverage in a changing world. Without Africa, the transition falters. The real question is no longer whether Africa matters. It is whether Africa will shape the rules that govern its own value.
Africa holds the minerals that drive today's technologies, but the value they create is still captured elsewhere. The continent fuels global supply chains yet it has little say in how those chains are built or who benefits most.
The continent extracts and exports, while others process, price, and profit. The system was not designed for Africa to lead. That is exactly why it must now be reimagined.
The resources come from African soil, yet the rules are written elsewhere. This is not a reflection of geological fate. It is the result of political choices, institutional weakness, and an outdated economic architecture that continues to externalize Africa's value while internalising its vulnerabilities.
That model must be dismantled. These resources are not geological accidents. They are instruments of global power. These minerals are not simply resources. They shape who holds power in the world: Who drives the economy, who commands influence, and who sets the rules.
Africa cannot afford to treat them as mere exports. They must be governed with discipline and unity, guided by a long-term vision rooted in sovereignty and shaped by Africa's own priorities.
This contradiction is not new. For decades, Africa's minerals have fuelled industrial revolutions elsewhere while leaving behind depleted landscapes, underdeveloped infrastructure, and fragile public institutions. The extractive model mirrors the colonial logic.
Raw materials leave, wealth accumulates abroad, and African states are left to manage the residue. As the global competition for supply intensifies, this pattern risks repeating itself unless African governments take bold, deliberate action.
The shift must begin with mindset and posture. Africa must move from being a site of extraction to a centre of strategic leverage. Its minerals are not just economic goods. Africa holds real leverage.
But that leverage means nothing if it is wasted on scattered policies, backroom deals, or short-term fixes. Minerals alone do not build strength. Strategy does. What we need now is one path, one vision, driven by sovereignty, built on industry, and owned by the continent.
Governments must reassert authority over mineral governance. Licensing must be transparent. Contracts must be renegotiated in the public interest. Strategic minerals must be classified and protected accordingly. But domestic reforms alone are not enough.
Africa's bargaining power grows exponentially when states act together. The African Union and African Continental Free Trade Area must become active platforms for regulatory harmonisation and collective negotiation. As Opec reshaped oil, Africa must now define its own terms in the mineral economy. It must be a rule shaper, not a rule taker.
It is time to end the export of raw minerals. Cobalt, lithium and graphite should not leave African soil without being processed. Real value comes from how minerals are used, not just how they're mined. Africa must steer at every level of the value chain: Refining, processing, manufacturing, and innovation.
That is how real power is built, industries take root, and sovereignty is secured. That requires more than resources. It calls for infrastructure, investment, skilled talent, and the political will to lead. Above all, it will require political resolve. Processing our own resources is not optional. It is strategic necessity.
Africa must also rethink how it partners. For too long, foreign investment has delivered extraction without transformation. The future lies in joint ventures that create value at home where African countries hold equity, access technology, and share decision-making power.
While China remains a major player, Africa must diversify and define the terms of engagement. Partners from Southeast Asia, Latin America and beyond offer alternatives. But all partnerships must serve African priorities, not external agenda. The age of one-sided dependence must end.
This new strategy must also centre the people. Environmental justice and community rights must come first. Unchecked mining has caused deep harm, uprooted families, and denied communities any say. Those who live near these resources deserve a voice in decisions and a share in the value.
Local equity, clear consultation and environmental safeguards are not burdens. They are the foundation of legitimacy. Accountability must be enforced not just by governments, but by civil society, media and citizens.
Some countries have begun to chart this path. Bans on raw mineral exports, new national policies and renegotiated contracts point to a growing awareness. But these efforts need to move beyond the national level and be scaled into a continental strategy.
This is a rare convergence: Global dependence on minerals and African leverage over supply. The world needs what Africa has, but for the first time in decades, the terms are not yet settled. Africa should not let this moment pass. This is not just about wealth; it is about who controls the future and who continues to be left behind. The resources are here. The power lies in what Africa chooses to do with them.
The mineral revolution is already underway. The question is not whether Africa will take part, it is whether it will lead. A lot more will depend on the willingness of African states to act with unity, ambition, and strategic clarity. The global economic order is changing rapidly. Africa must move faster and move together.
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