South Africa has abundant critical minerals vital for the global shift towards green energy but most of these minerals are exported for foreign benefit and not beneficiated locally, President Cyril Ramaphosa told the African Minerals Forum in New York this week.
“It would not be an understatement to say that the minerals that lie beneath the soil of Africa are powering the green energy revolution – 30% of the world’s proven critical mineral reserves are found in sub-Saharan Africa,” he said.
Among these are platinum group metals, manganese, vanadium and chromium crucial for technologies such as electric vehicle batteries, energy storage systems and renewable energy infrastructure – all key components of the global electrification drive.
According to Our World in Data, South Africa has 35,7% of the world’s chromium reserves and the largest known deposits of manganese, which is critical for battery technology and grid stability – both integral to establishing electrification infrastructure globally.
However, the economic benefits remain largely unrealised for South Africans, Ramaphosa stated. He acknowledged the South African government needs to focus on beneficiation and domestic processing so that southern African nations can accelerate their own energy transition and avoid exploitation. Local processing of these minerals could increase the continent’s gross domestic product by 12% or more by 2050, he added.
“These resources are fundamental to the development of cutting-edge technologies that drive progress in various sectors. What will be critical is to ensure that this progress does not leave Africa behind.”
Ramaphosa underscored government’s plans to simplify mining regulations and encourage investment in research and technologies that could help South Africa harness its resources for local electrification projects. This, coupled with workforce development and infrastructure improvements, could position the country as a global leader in the energy transition and a model for electrification in Africa, he said.
