Southern Transitions explores how African countries, and Global South economies more broadly, can shape the minerals agenda around their own development priorities. Our work focuses on understanding, shaping and establishing the conditions for unlocking value upgrading in mineral value chains.
As the global scramble for minerals intensifies, mineral-consuming countries actively seek to secure resources for their energy transitions, technological developments and strategic priorities. For African countries, the growing demand raises a broader question: how can mineral development serve as an anchor to meet the continent’s own energy needs, strengthen its industrial capabilities and improve people’s lives?
We approach mineral value chain through four main entry points:
International cooperation and diplomacy: Examining how African countries can negotiate agreements and partnerships that reflect their priorities, both with mineral-consuming and mineral-producing countries.
Regional value chains and strategic corridors: Exploring how opportunities to foster value upgrading on the continent can be unlocked collaboratively, across countries and geographies.
Participation and share benefits: Taking a whole-of-economy, whole-of-society approach to mineral development, we consider how industries and communities are included in establishing commercial ecosystems and minerals-backed industrialisation that is consistent with human rights.
Investment and finance: How investors assess risk shapes which mineral projects attract finance and on what terms. Through our regenerative finance approach, we examine whose perspectives inform these assessments and how local knowledge can give African stakeholders a stronger voice in financing decisions.
