Collaboration Key to Africa’s Burgeoning Role in the Critical Minerals Space: A Recap of the FMF Webinar on 27th February 2025
Africa is home to a significant portion of the world’s critical minerals, which are essential for future global development. To ensure a sustainable supply that benefits the region, collaborative and strategic initiatives are crucial. On 27th February 2025, the Future Minerals Forum (FMF) hosted an insightful webinar titled “Future Minerals Forum: Is Africa’s Voice Finally Being Heard?”, featuring key speakers including H.E. Moses Micheal Engadu, Secretary-General of the Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG), Aldo Pennini from FMF, and Mzila Mthenjane, CEO of Minerals Council South Africa.
The webinar highlighted the crucial role Africa plays in the global mineral supply chain and emphasized the importance of Africa’s active participation in ensuring that its resources are sustainably managed and benefit the continent. H.E Moses Micheal Engadu, Secretary-General of AMSG discussed how AMSG, a high-level initiative formed in 2024 at the FMF, is driving transformative efforts in Africa’s minerals sector. Its goal is to promote exploration, extraction, local beneficiation, and commercialization of critical minerals, while ensuring the secure, sustainable, and transparent supply of critical minerals that support Africa’s growth and protect the environment.
Key insights from the webinar included:
🔹 The Formation and Progress of AMSG: H.E Engadu highlighted the notable progress made by AMSG since its formation, including the launch of the Africa Responsible Mineral Sourcing Initiative in 2024. This initiative aims to unite African countries, the industry, and civil society to establish a responsible mineral ecosystem based on locally developed guidelines. The platform is being rolled out across 16 AMSG member countries, ensuring inclusivity and cooperation with small-scale miners.
🔹 Leveraging Technology for Sustainable Growth: AMSG is embracing cutting-edge technologies such as blockchain, AI, and cryptocurrency to monetize Africa’s critical minerals. Through tokenization, these resources can be converted into real-world assets, attracting global investments and facilitating access to international financial markets. Engadu discussed the launch of the AMSG blockchain platform for traceability and the introduction of an Africa mineral utility token to ensure the traceability of minerals across the continent.
🔹 Traceability and Blockchain Pilot Projects: AMSG is working with FMF to implement a pilot project in the Copperbelt on traceability, which will enhance transparency and security in the supply chain. H.E Engadu stressed that tokenization provides African countries with an opportunity to leverage their mineral reserves to mobilize funding for critical infrastructure, exploration, and capacity development.
🔹 Building Business Cases for Investment: AMSG is also focusing on creating business cases for funding, aligning regulatory frameworks to build private-sector confidence, and attracting more financing for mineral exploration. This effort aims to de-risk global supply chains and foster a conducive environment for investment.
🔹 Capacity Building and Regional Collaboration: Both Mzila Mthenjane and H.E Engadu discussed the importance of capacity building and regional collaboration to enhance Africa’s competitive edge. H.E Engadu emphasized the ongoing work towards establishing Centres of Excellence across the continent, including hubs for talent development, sustainability, and innovation.
🔹 FMF Africa Special Meeting in Uganda: Looking ahead, FMF and AMSG are preparing to host the first FMF Africa Special Meeting in Uganda on 30th July 2025. This event will explore how Africa can address critical mineral supply challenges, support the global energy transition, and build resilient, responsible supply chains by fostering collaboration and trust among all stakeholders.
🔹 The Role of South Africa: Mzila Mthenjane emphasized that South Africa, with its over 100 years of mining experience, has a critical role to play in advancing Africa’s mineral sector. By working together with countries that share similar resources, Africa can develop joint strategies that provide a comparative advantage in the global marketplace.
In conclusion, the webinar underscored the need for collaboration and strategic initiatives to ensure that Africa maximizes the benefits from its critical minerals while supporting global development and the energy transition. The continent must continue to focus on capacity building, transparency, and responsible practices to unlock its full potential.
