By Gifty Amofa, GNA
Accra, March 17, GNA – Professor Ivan Cardillo, Founder and Chairman of the Institute of Chinese Law, says Africa’s dominance in critical minerals presents a significant opportunity for value addition.
He has, therefore, urged policymakers and private sector leaders to prioritise strategic value addition instead of relying on raw commodity exports.
Prof Cardillo made the call during a webinar, titled: “Toward a Shared Green Future: China, Africa and the Strategic Reconfiguration of Global Energy Transmission,” jointly organised by the Africa-China Centre for Policy and Advisory (ACCPA) and the Institute of Chinese Law.
“Africa holds a commanding share of the world’s transition-critical resources. Cobalt, manganese and graphite – essential for electric vehicles, solar panels and battery storage – are disproportionately concentrated on the continent,” he said.
Recent assessments estimate that Africa accounts for about 30 per cent of global critical mineral reserves, including nearly half of the world’s manganese and cobalt deposits.
Despite this, the continent continues to export most of these minerals in raw form, a trend Prof Cardillo described as a missed economic opportunity.
“African countries are losing potential revenue by focusing on raw commodity exports,” he noted.
This observation aligns with findings from external analyses, which show that Chinese firms have long been active in Africa’s mineral sector, often importing unprocessed ores for refining in China.
Prof Cardillo outlined a range of industrial and policy measures African governments could adopt to capture more value within the supply chain.
These include local content requirements to ensure a portion of processing or manufacturing occurs domestically; incentives for refineries and special economic zones to attract downstream investments; and linking royalties to finished outputs to promote local beneficiation rather than raw exports.
He emphasised the importance of regional integration to avoid duplication and build shared manufacturing ecosystems.
“African governments can adopt targeted industrial policies and incentives for processing to capture more value,” he stated.
While discussions on China–Africa relations often focused on mining, China’s role in supporting energy infrastructure and industrial development across Africa had expanded in recent years, Prof Cardillo said.
Touching on Chinese cooperation frameworks, he said Beijing had pledged support for Africa’s mineral value-chain development through investments in refining, processing and special economic zones.
Those commitments were reflected in the Beijing Action Plan (2025–2027) under the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), he said.
Chinese power companies had also played a key role in expanding renewable energy projects across the continent, with solar, wind and hydropower accounting for more than half of China’s energy investments in Africa.
Prof Cardillo said African countries could leapfrog traditional fossil fuel systems by investing in modern, clean energy transmission infrastructure.
“Africa can build smarter renewable energy transmission systems, bypassing legacy constraints that slowed growth in other regions,” he added.
Although China was not Africa’s only development partner, its footprint remained one of the most extensive, he noted.
China also remains Africa’s largest trading partner, with total trade running into hundreds of billions of dollars annually and growing ties in intermediate goods, manufacturing technology and renewable energy.
However, Prof. Cardillo said the evolving relationship presented both opportunities and challenges.
He stressed that African policymakers must negotiate agreements that balanced foreign investment with domestic industrial growth, describing that as central to the continent’s strategic positioning in the 21st century.
He said Africa’s value addition agenda required not only national policies but also stronger multilateral cooperation involving partners such as China, the United States, the European Union and regional blocs like the African Continental Free Trade Area to achieve significant progress.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe