The African Union (AU) has announced plans to establish a coalition of critical mineral-producing nations, positioning the continent to better manage soaring global demand for resources essential to green technologies.
Meeting in Addis Ababa for a Climate summit, the 54-member bloc unveiled its “Green Minerals Strategy” as a framework to harness Africa’s mineral wealth — from rare earths in the Democratic Republic of Congo to Nigeria’s oil — for sustainable development. The AU said the coalition would strengthen regional cooperation and ensure that the extraction of resources contributes to climate-resilient growth.
The move comes amid intensifying global competition for strategic minerals, with the U.S. seeking to diversify supplies away from China, which dominates the sector. The International Energy Agency projects that demand for critical minerals will quadruple by 2040, reinforcing Africa’s pivotal role. Despite contributing the least to global pollution, the AU stressed that African nations are among the hardest hit by climate change and least able to meet adaptation costs. It called for stronger international financial commitments while urging African countries to mobilise resources internally, warning that existing pledges — including the \$300 billion a year promised at COP29 — remain insufficient to meet the continent’s needs.