SADC countries launch drive to add value to critical minerals

Southern African countries are seeking to capture a larger share of the global clean energy economy following the launch of a new regional initiative aimed at promoting value addition and industrialisation in the critical minerals sector.

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) on Tuesday launched the International Climate Initiative (IKI) project, a five-year programme designed to support environmentally sustainable, socially inclusive and low-carbon value chains for energy transition minerals across the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

The initiative comes amid soaring global demand for minerals such as copper, cobalt, lithium, nickel, manganese and rare earth elements, which are key components in electric vehicles, battery storage systems, renewable energy technologies and other low-carbon industries.