African mining nations have been warned not to miss out on the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to benefit from the huge global demand for the critical minerals necessary for a clean energy transition.
Through their Mineral Security Partnership (MSP), the United States and 12 other nations say they are trying to help Africa develop these minerals in a way that benefits their people.
The MSP partners are trying to ensure a "race to the top" and not a "race to the bottom" in the accelerating rush by nations of the world to attain critical minerals such as lithium and graphite, Jose Fernandez, US Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment told the African Mining Indaba in Cape Town on Monday.
Fernandez said the aim of the MSP was to ensure that its miners follow high standards of environmental and social protection and governance, as well as investing in every part of the mining supply chain; not just extraction, but also processing and recycling, to ensure that African countries derived the greatest benefit.
"The reason I'm here is to look for ways to create partnerships with African countries so they can benefit from the world's desire to achieve a clean energy...
