The economies of the industrialised countries can hardly be imagined without Africa’s natural resources. Network Africa Germany (NAD) recently drew attention to the global competition for two of its metals and minerals, namely lithium and cobalt. Both are needed to achieve clean energy. So far, lithium is irreplaceable. The negative environmental consequences of its production, such as high water consumption and CO₂ emissions, cannot be compared with those of fossil fuels and could be improved.
The West apparently missed China’s strategy in Africa during some two decades, during which it succeeded in dominating the deposits of these two minerals. Western industrialised countries are thus lagging behind in regards to these two minerals, with China controlling the exploitation, refinement, and marketing of the African occurrences. Germany’s needs are covered by imports. Trials are underway to determine whether lithium production from local hot deep water is feasible.
About 25,000 tons of lithium per year are produced globally, with 11 million tonnes accessible for batteries required for computers and other portable electronic devices, including electric cars, which increasingly consume energy. Present reserves are estimated at approximately 14 million tonnes, with proven resources at approximately 62 million tonnes.
The largest lithium producer is currently Australia with around 40,000 tons per year, followed by Chile, China, and Argentina. Africa’s largest occurrences are in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Zimbabwe, and Namibia. China dominates the supply chain and refining, with African governments attempting to develop processing and refining to achieve higher profits.
Cobalt is primarily used in lithium-ion batteries and is mostly produced as a by-product of copper and nickel mining. The DRC copper belt and Zambia provide most of the world’s cobalt production. In 2016, the DRC provided 50% of the 116,000 tons of world production.
Given the need to achieve air improvement, these items will continue to be in great demand.