Addis Ababa — African countries must stop exporting raw minerals and focus on local processing and manufacturing, if the continent is to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and build inclusive, long-term prosperity, Tanzania Minerals Deputy Minister Steven Kiruswa said.
In an exclusive interview with the Ethiopian News Agency, Kiruswa said sustainable development requires Africa to use its vast natural resources to create jobs, transfer technology, and generate wealth within the continent.
“When you talk about the goals in any aspect and area of focus, you have to consider sustainability whether it is in water, infrastructure, mineral wealth or other resources that the continent can harness to improve its economies,” he noted.
Kiruswa stressed that this principle must be applied to Africa’s mining sector, where countries have historically exported unprocessed minerals while much of the value creation has taken place elsewhere.
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“There is no point for Africa to continue being a source of raw materials for developed countries,” he said.
Africa holds an estimated 30 percent of the world’s mineral reserves, including significant deposits of cobalt, graphite, lithium, manganese, platinum group metals and rare earth elements many of which are essential for electric vehicles, batteries, renewable energy technologies and other green industries.
Despite this resource wealth, much of Africa’s mineral output is still exported in raw or minimally processed form, limiting the continent’s ability to capture value, create jobs and build domestic industrial capacity.
According to the Tanzania Deputy Minister, this model must change if Africa is to fully benefit from the global transition to clean energy and rising demand for critical minerals.
The African Mining Vision, adopted by the African Union in 2009, aims to ensure Africa’s mineral resources drive broad-based development through value addition, industrialization and stronger linkages with other sectors of the economy.
Kiruswa stated that the continent is increasingly aligning that vision with its green critical minerals strategy to position Africa as a competitive player in global clean energy supply chains.
“Africa has come to the realization that we must explore, mine, process and manufacture finished products here at home,” he underscored.
Value addition expands industrial linkages and creates more jobs by allowing countries to retain a larger share of the mineral value chain, the Deputy Minister elaborated.
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Kiruswa said he believes that regional cooperation will be essential with African countries developing specialized processing hubs based on their comparative advantages.
“If Ethiopia is strong in another area, processing can be done here, and together we can sell finished products to the world.”
The Deputy Minister emphasized that speaking with one voice on mining policies and regulations will help Africa better leverage its resources for the benefit of its citizens and support the continent’s industrial transformation.
The call comes as African governments intensify efforts to use the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area to build regional value chains, expand intra-African trade and attract investment into mineral beneficiation and downstream manufacturing.