The beneficiation of critical minerals in Africa would be a key focus of SA’s presidency of the Group of 20 (G20) this year, international relations & co-operation minister Ronald Lamola said.
“The harnessing of critical minerals for inclusive growth and sustainable development has been identified as one of the four priorities of our presidency,” Lamola said in a written reply to a parliamentary question by ANC MP Andisiwe Kumbaca.
Kumbaca wanted to know what steps would be taken to ensure that African countries benefited from value addition and beneficiation rather than merely exporting raw materials.
“SA will champion a critical minerals framework through task force one during our presidency in 2025,” Lamola added.
“SA believes that the G20 is uniquely placed to initiate discussion on green industrial policies, which is an emerging focus area in the G20 and the international community at large.
“Given the potential for green industrial policies to foster inclusive growth, the role of technology and critical minerals in driving industrialisation and a just energy transition, creating employment and fostering global equity, including through beneficiation at source, are critical.”
Lamola said SA’s G20 presidency aimed to champion an inclusive framework that ensured resource-rich nations and communities benefited equitably from their mineral wealth.
A total of 30% of the world’s proven critical mineral reserves were found in Sub-Saharan Africa, with SA having substantial reserves of platinum group metals, manganese, vanadium and chromium.
For critical minerals not to repeat the mistakes of past mineral booms, actions should be taken in a sustainable manner ... Fundamental to this is global equity and local justice.
— Ronald Lamola
However, Africa merely extracted these minerals with beneficiation taking place elsewhere.
“To ensure that critical minerals translate into structural economic transformation, SA aims to advance and prioritise value chain integration beyond extraction.
“For critical minerals not to repeat the mistakes of past mineral booms, actions should be taken in a sustainable manner, while achieving the necessary balance with environmental and social impacts. Fundamental to this is global equity and local justice,” Lamola said.
Sharing the benefits of their mineral wealth through beneficiation would allow mineral rich countries to diversify their economies and generate export earnings and tax revenues which could be used for social development. It would also reduce the volatility of export revenues.
“At the same time, developing mid- and downstream capacities in mineral-rich developing and developed countries, fosters global value chain diversification and integration, thereby increasing the resilience and stability of global supply of critical minerals,” he added.
This approach was aligned with the AU’s Agenda 2063 and the African green minerals strategy, which position critical minerals as essential to achieving the continent’s development goals and contributing to global resilience and equity.
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