TIPS Podcast
Trade & Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS) is an independent, non-profit, economic research institution established in 1996 to support economic policy development.
Dive into a wealth of economic research and industrial policy insights from our researchers. Listen to the body of research today and empower yourself with knowledge on technological change, the just transition, industry data, trade trends, and much more.
TIPS Podcast
Powering Africa's Green Industrial Future: How Critical Minerals can Drive Regional Integration with David Mparutsa and Thobani K
Host Tobani Khumalo speaks with David Mparutsa, Head of Enterprise & Supply Chain Development at Absa Corporate & Investment Bank, on how Africa can move from exporting raw minerals to building competitive regional industries. Drawing on insights from the 2025 TIPS Forum, Mparutsa unpacks why intra-African trade remains low, the case for a hub-and-spoke model across SADC, and the fundamentals—energy, ports, roads, skills, and coordinated policy—needed to unlock beneficiation and manufacturing.
They also explore how finance can pull SMEs into these value chains: Absa’s ESD and supply-chain finance approaches that lend against future cash flows, sector marketplaces like Made in Africa, and practical trade missions that connect smaller suppliers to corporate demand. It’s a grounded roadmap for turning Africa’s critical minerals into inclusive growth through collaboration, specialization, and smarter financing.