Professor Ivan Cardillo, Founder and Chairman of the Institute of Chinese Law, has said Africa’s strong position in critical mineral resources offers a significant opportunity for value addition and industrial transformation.
He urged policymakers and private sector leaders across the continent to prioritise strategic beneficiation and industrial development instead of continuing to depend largely on raw commodity exports.
Professor Cardillo made the remarks during a webinar on the theme, “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,” he said, noting that minerals such as cobalt, manganese and graphite, key inputs for electric vehicles, solar panels and battery storage are heavily concentrated on the continent.
Recent estimates indicate that Africa accounts for about 30 percent of global critical mineral reserves, including nearly half of the world’s manganese and cobalt deposits. Despite this advantage, the continent continues to export most of these resources in raw form.
Professor Cardillo described this pattern as a missed economic opportunity, arguing that African countries forgo substantial revenue and job creation potential by failing to move up the value chain.
“African countries are losing potential revenues by focusing on raw commodity exports,” he said.
He observed that foreign firms, including Chinese companies, have long played active roles in Africa’s mining sectors, often importing unprocessed ores for refining abroad. This structure, he suggested, limits local industrial development and technology transfer.
To reverse the trend, Professor Cardillo proposed a range of policy and industrial measures aimed at strengthening domestic processing capacity. These include local content requirements that mandate part of mineral processing or manufacturing to take place within producing countries.
He also recommended refinery incentives and the development of special economic zones to attract downstream investment, as well as linking royalty regimes to finished or semi-processed outputs to encourage beneficiation.
Regional integration, he added, would be essential to avoid duplication of infrastructure and to build shared manufacturing ecosystems across borders.
“African governments can adopt industrial policies and incentives for processing to capture more value,” he emphasised.
Beyond mining, discussions during the webinar also examined China’s expanding role in Africa’s energy and industrial landscape. Under frameworks such as the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), Beijing has pledged support for upgrading Africa’s mineral value chains through investments in refining, processing facilities and special economic zones.
These commitments are reflected in the Beijing Action Plan (2025–27), which outlines cooperation priorities in industrialisation and green development.
Chinese power companies have also supported renewable energy expansion across the continent, with solar, wind and hydropower projects accounting for a significant share of China’s energy investments in Africa.
Professor Cardillo argued that this shift creates room for African countries to leapfrog traditional fossil-fuel pathways and invest directly in modern renewable transmission systems.
“Africa can build out renewable transmission smarter, bypassing legacy systems that once constrained growth in other regions,” he said.
He acknowledged that China is not Africa’s only development partner, pointing to parallel initiatives backed by the United States and the European Union.
Nonetheless, China remains Africa’s largest trading partner, with trade spanning minerals, intermediate goods, manufactured products and renewable technologies.
The evolving geopolitical environment, he noted, presents both opportunities and complexities. African governments must negotiate investment agreements that attract capital while safeguarding local industrialisation goals.
Professor Cardillo described this balancing act as central to Africa’s strategic agency in the 21st century.
The webinar concluded with participants agreeing that Africa’s push for value addition must extend beyond national strategies to include multilateral and regional cooperation, particularly under frameworks such as the African Continental Free Trade Area.
Speakers emphasised that with coordinated policies and strategic partnerships, Africa’s mineral wealth could become a foundation for sustainable industrial growth rather than continued dependence on raw exports.
