Mining

Africa holds a substantial share of the world's manganese reserves, and manganese mining and ferro-alloy production — particularly ferromanganese and silicomanganese used in steel manufacturing — represent significant industrial activities in several African countries.

Africa holds significant lithium reserves alongside other battery minerals, and growing global demand for electric vehicle batteries is driving exploration and development activity that positions several African countries as potential future contributors to critical battery mineral supply chains.

Africa holds significant uranium reserves concentrated in a small number of countries, and uranium mining is an established industry in several markets, with growing policy interest in nuclear power generation raising questions about domestic value capture from the continent's nuclear fuel resources.

Africa, and particularly South Africa, dominates global production of platinum group metals — a family of six related metallic elements with critical industrial applications in automotive catalytic converters, electronics, and emerging hydrogen fuel cell technology.

Africa holds significant iron ore reserves yet the continent's steel production capacity remains far below what its resource endowment and construction demand would suggest, representing both a development gap and a long-term industrial opportunity.