The Route to Critical Mineral Security in Britain Runs Through Africa and The Middle East

Britain’s opportunity to build an integrated trade, investment and development approach to critical minerals, alongside partners in Africa and the Middle East, will be explored at an upcoming conference hosted by the Cambridge Middle East and North Africa Forum – writes Patrik Kurath.

The United Kingdom’s newly elected Labour government has pledged to unroll an ambitious foreign policy approach that repositions Britain as an active and relevant participant in global affairs, ready to collaborate with allies on key policy issues. One of such policy areas is green energy, in which Labour hopes to lay the foundations for reducing energy prices, achieving energy independence from volatile sources, and reaching net zero targets in the context of regionally and globally shared climate change-related and environmental issues.

In line with these aspirations is the European Union’s program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reach a net zero status by 2050, already underway for over four years now. In addition to the policies of the European Green Energy Deal aimed at resource efficiency, the ‘REPowerEU’ plan was launched by the European Commission in 2022 in response to the war in Ukraine, which aims to phase out fossil fuel imports from Russia completely. These two long-term programs promise to reshape the EU’s energy relations completely, and promise a number of business and investment opportunities for countries located along the world’s green energy supply chain routes.

Britain can prove to be an invaluable partner in developing ties with and investing in the clean energy production and refining capabilities of countries that possess the natural resources and critical mineral reserves necessary for supporting the energy transition. Lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite and manganese are some of the most important resources that the UK and its neighbours in the EU must tap into to produce green hydrogen and green ammonia, and manufacture batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage systems, photovoltaics and wind turbines.

The African continent receives an unrivalled distribution of solar radiation and possesses 56% of global cobalt reserves, 54% of global manganese and notable graphite reserves. The UK’s historical relationship with African members of the Commonwealth of Nations and close ties with various other African states positions it well to become a significant player in an Africa-Europe clean energy ecosystem. Indeed this will be the subject of the forthcoming Africa-Middle East Critical Minerals Forum, to be hosted at the University of Cambridge by the Cambridge Middle East and North Africa Forum (CMENAF) in collaboration with private sector stakeholder Missang and the Commonwealth Africa Initiative.

The event, which will be a day-long seminar, will explore and enhance the synergy between Africa and the Middle East in the critical minerals sector, focusing on net zero goals, sustainability, responsible mining, and strategic investment with an eye towards encouraging UK leadership in the field. By bringing together stakeholders from both regions, the Forum will seek to foster relationships, encourage investment, and promote sustainable practices in the industry, while creating a space for ongoing conversations.

Coinciding with the UK’s clean energy plans is the new government’s desire to build an equitable partnership with its partners in the global South, specifically with African countries. For that, partnerships with UK allies in the Gulf is needed. This is particularly true in light of reports of new investments being made by Gulf countries in critical minerals across Africa, including most recently Manara, a joint venture between Saudi Arabian mining company Ma’aden and the $925 billion Public Investment Fund, being in advanced talks to acquire between 15% and 20% equity in Zambian copper and nickel assets of Canadian miner First Quantum Minerals. Indeed, Africa is a geographical arena where Britain could successfully combine its diplomatic, foreign, economic, business, investment and development approaches in service of multiple policy areas at the same time.

African countries have thus far struggled with reconciling their need for electricity with ever more urgent climate action and energy transition goals. Building a more robust electricity infrastructure is a precondition for the continent’s economic growth and development in the future. Investments focusing on renewable energy resources and critical minerals that could benefit local actors as well as contribute to production for export, would be welcomed across the continent. The 2020 merger of the UK’s foreign and development offices provides an institution for the country that could successfully implement Labour’s ambitious vision.

The UK government hopes to double Britain’s electricity production capacity by 2030 while it aims to sell only electric vehicles by 2035. The UK imports around 37% of its energy at the moment. While renewables made up a record 51.6% of total electricity generation in the second quarter of 2024, net zero goals will necessitate substantial further investments in the sector. As the UK has limited natural resources of its own, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Ghana and Morocco are a few countries that British policymakers should consider turning to in order to develop closer supply chain partnerships.

In what is a volatile critical minerals and energy market with traceability, transparency and several Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues, joint foreign policy action is more likely to achieve positive and long-lasting results. This is why both UK and EU decisionmakers should identify overlaps between their countries’ critical minerals and green energy import needs, and consider synchronised action for investments in improving mining and refining infrastructure in Africa. This should be conducted in parallel with development-focused efforts aimed at redistributing the benefits of a more substantial and stable African energy production market, which would be a crucial component in building trust and reassuring local stakeholders of the UK and the EU’s intentions of engaging in long-term partnerships.

Patrik Kurath is the Executive Vice President of the Cambridge Middle East and North Africa Forum

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