How Africa plans to keep its green wealth at home

A man walks along a forested road on the outskirts of Bopolu, Liberia on November 15, 2021. [AFP]

You are probably reading this story on a laptop or phone built with minerals such as cobalt, lithium and manganese. These metals are the backbone of the global shift toward green energy. Africa holds some of the world's largest reserves, yet much of the processing and manufacturing still happens outside the continent.

Africa is estimated to command about 30 percent of global critical mineral reserves. The Democratic Republic of the Congo alone supplies more than 70 percent of the world's cobalt, a metal essential for batteries and renewable-energy technologies. But despite this abundance, the continent largely exports raw ores and imports finished products - from battery packs and solar panels to electric-vehicle modules. As a result, most of the value chain remains offshore.