The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) launched a regional programme in Lusaka, Zambia, on June 2, 2026, aimed at developing responsible value chains for critical minerals used in the energy transition across the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

The five-year project will be implemented in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Mozambique and South Africa. It seeks to expand local mineral processing, support new industries, increase the economic benefits retained within producing countries, and improve the management of the sector's environmental and social impacts.

Funded through the German government's International Climate Initiative (IKI), the programme has a budget of approximately 15.03 million euros. It comes as global demand for minerals used in batteries, electric vehicles and renewable energy technologies continues to rise.

According to a recent United Nations briefing to the Security Council, global demand for critical minerals could triple by 2030 and quadruple by 2040. Other international forecasts also point to strong growth in demand for minerals such as lithium, cobalt, graphite, copper, manganese and nickel, which are essential to the energy transition.

For the ECA, this trend offers African countries an opportunity to capture more value from their natural resources. The project aims to encourage local processing, expand industrial capacity, promote skills transfer, integrate small and medium-sized enterprises into supply chains, and increase participation by women and young people in emerging industries linked to the energy transition.

Local processing

Research by the International Energy Agency (IEA) on the development of African mining value chains suggests that, at current prices, the market value of African exports of copper, cobalt, phosphate, manganese, graphite and nickel could rise from around $70 billion today to nearly $120 billion by 2040 if refining and processing capacity is expanded on the continent.

Such growth would depend largely on African countries increasing the share of minerals processed domestically. Processing rates currently vary widely by mineral. The IEA estimates that about 62% of copper extracted in Africa is refined on the continent, compared with 33% of phosphate and only 3% of cobalt.

Under a higher-value processing scenario, the proportion of cobalt refined locally could increase, although it would remain lower than that of several other minerals. The market value generated from cobalt could also rise, provided producing countries continue to strengthen their industrial, energy and logistics capacity.

The DRC is central to this strategy. The country accounts for around 70% of global cobalt mine production and holds substantial copper reserves, making it a key supplier to battery manufacturing value chains.

ESG challenges

For Kinshasa and other countries in the region, the challenge is no longer limited to increasing mineral production. It is also about developing higher-value industrial activities linked to those resources. This approach is consistent with the African Union's Africa Mining Vision, which encourages member states to use mineral wealth as a driver of industrialisation, job creation and economic diversification.

The programme also places a strong focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. Partners plan to strengthen ESG frameworks to reduce the negative effects of mining activities on local communities and ecosystems.

Awareness campaigns, training programmes and consultations with civil society organisations, mining communities and local authorities are also planned. The aim is to ensure a more equitable distribution of mining benefits while supporting job creation, industrial development and stronger integration of local communities into mining value chains.

For the DRC, the regional initiative could provide additional support for its ambitions to expand domestic processing of critical minerals. Its impact, however, will depend on whether it succeeds in attracting investment, developing new industrial capacity and improving governance across mineral supply chains.

Timothée Manoke