The critical minerals race – who will benefit?

Minerals like lithium, cobalt and rare earth are not just commodities. They are strategic assets which are shaping global power and the future of the energy transition.

As US-China trade tensions escalate, countries across Africa (and elsewhere) where these minerals are found are now renegotiating their role in an increasingly fragmented global economy.

This episode asks how Africa’s mineral wealth can truly benefit its people and future generations. Guests discuss the challenges countries face in adding value domestically, and whether there’s an opportunity to push for a more equitable, sustainable governance of the mineral supply chain.

Drawing on the latest developments in the South China sea, Greenland and the new US-Ukraine minerals deal, we also hear how resource scarcity, trade, and geopolitical and economic interests are closely intertwined today against a backdrop of ongoing violence and instability.

Guests

• Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global
• Akim Daouda, Founder and CEO, Mwaana Inc.
• Rebecca Nadin, Director, Global Risks and Resilience team, ODI Global
• Silas Olan’g, Africa Energy Transition Advisor, Natural Resource Governance Institute

Related resources

• The critical minerals race to net zero (Event recording, ODI Global)
  
  
• Critical minerals, critical moment: Africa’s role in the AI revolution (Insight, ODI Global)
  
  
• The ‘strategic mirage’ of Africa’s green minerals wealth (Insight, ODI Global)
  
  
• Why China is seeking greater presence in Africa – the strategy behind its financial deals (Insight, ODI Global)