03.02.2023 BGR side event at Africa Mining Indaba trade fair: “Energy Transition. Securing local value addition in Africa’s supply chains”

The Sector Project “Extractives and Development” at the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR (External link)) together with the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF (External link)) is organizing a side event at the Africa Mining Indaba trade fair on the topic of local value creation within the global energy transition. The event will take place on February 7, 2023 from 1:30 - 3:00 p.m. in the conference room of the Southern Sun Hotel in Cape Town.

As the world accelerates efforts to transition to a low-carbon future, the global demand for minerals and metals that are critical for renewable energy technologies is expected to soar exponentially. Current forecasts estimate that to meet the needs of the energy transition alone, manufacturing capacities for batteries and renewable energy solutions will have to be significantly scaled up globally. The demand for minerals such as cobalt, lithium, nickel, graphite, copper, rare earths and manganese will thus rise significantly.

Several African countries are key producers and suppliers of minerals and metals needed for renewable energy technologies. Given the large, and likely growing, critical minerals supply deficit, African producing countries have a key role to play in the global energy transition.

While Africa’s mineral production will be increasingly key to support the global energy transition, African countries will also step up efforts to develop domestic and regional capacities to accelerate their own energy transition. Unreliable and high energy costs are major constraints to economic development, employment creation and poverty reduction. At the same time, the mining sector is one of the major energy consumers. It is therefore important for African countries to create local and regional value chains to foster their energy transition. This helps to bridge the energy deficit across the continent, raises standards of living and reduces the carbon footprint of the African mining sector.

The side-event will discuss current challenges and possible pathways towards value chains for renewable energy technologies– such as technology, R&D, access to finance, and regulatory frameworks. Panelists from government, industry and civil society will explore the current state of climate solution technologies, and options to scale-up existing energy transition value chains and develop new ones, based on the availability of domestic mineral resources.

For more information, please contact: Dr. Wibke Crewett (External link)