Harare: Africa's role in the global critical minerals market is gaining renewed attention as strategic resource competition intensifies and global supply chains shift. The VUKA Group's Zimbabwe Mining Week, in partnership with Mining Review Africa, is hosting a webinar to explore Zimbabwe's role in this evolving landscape and its implications for Africa's industrial ambitions.
According to African Press Organization, the demand for minerals such as lithium, platinum group metals, and chrome is significantly increasing, driven by the growth of electric vehicles, battery storage systems, and energy transition policies. This demand has positioned Zimbabwe as a prominent mining jurisdiction in Africa, attracting new investments and fostering policies for beneficiation, value addition, and industrial development.
The webinar will delve into whether this momentum can facilitate a structural shift that enables African producers to move beyond raw material exportation, capturing more value through processing, refining, and participation in downstream industries. It will assess Zimbabwe's competitiveness compared to regional peers and the practical realities of building local beneficiation capacity.
Additionally, the discussion will address sector constraints including infrastructure, energy supply, and financial access. It will also analyze how global supply chains are being reconfigured, the control over downstream value, and the steps African producers must take to strengthen their market position.
The session will bring together industry leaders, investors, analysts, and policymakers to provide insights into the critical minerals development phase in Zimbabwe and Africa.
