#ACS23: AMDC hosts high-level dialogue on Africa’s Green Minerals Strategy

The African Minerals Development Center (AMDC), in collaboration with the African Development Bank (AfDB) and Open Society Foundation (OSF), is set to host a high-level dialogue on Africa’s Green Minerals Strategy (AGMS) Tuesday on the sidelines of the inaugural Africa Climate Summit (ACS2023), to be held September 4–6 in Nairobi, Kenya.

Speakers at the dialogue will include Amb. Albert Muchanga, Commissioner of the African Union Commission on Economic Development, Tourism, Trade, Industry, Mining (AUC-ETTIM); Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the AfDB; Mr. Antonio Pedro, Acting Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA); as well as Dr. Marit Y. Kitaw, Interim Director of AMDC.

The dialogue session, themed: “Africa’s Green Minerals Strategy: A Game Changer for Continental Minerals-based Industrialization”, will focus on how Africa’s rich mineral resources can drive a new era of sustainable development, economic transformation, and environmental resilience. AMDC believes by leveraging the unique opportunities presented by Africa’s critical minerals, the dialogue will reinforce the continent’s role in the global energy transition.

“Amidst profound global shifts, including climate change and a worldwide financial crisis, the global geopolitical landscape is undergoing transformative changes. These changes carry both risks and opportunities for shaping the trajectory of the energy transition agenda. Africa, endowed with strategic green minerals crucial for energy transition and green industries such as solar panels, wind turbines, and lithium-ion batteries, stands at a pivotal crossroads,” reads a press statement by AMDC ahead of the dialogue session.

The statement said since Africa holds approximately 30% of the world’s mineral reserves and ranks among the top three producers of crucial minerals such as chromium, cobalt, manganese, phosphates, and titanium, the continent is poised to leverage these resources for revenue, sustainable growth, and socio-economic development, in line with the principles of the Africa Mining Vision (AMV).

Whereas AMV is Africa’s long-term strategy for attaining transparent, equitable and optimal exploitation of mineral resources to underpin broad-based sustainable growth and socio-economic development. On the other hand, AGMS, which is being developed by the African Union (through the AMDC) and AfDB, seeks to proactively engage with the new conditions flowing from the energy transition to augment the existing body of mineral development policies with a focus on the opportunities created by these new conditions.

The inaugural ACS is being cohosted by the Government of Kenya and the AU Commission pursuant to an AU Assembly Decision adopted during the 36th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly. It is worthy of note that Africa faces severe climate-related challenges, including drought, desertification, and increasing cyclones, leading to displacement, migration, and food crises. The continent is also disproportionately affected by global temperature rises and is projected to experience escalating physical climate risks.

Additionally, African governments’ limited ability to respond to the climate crisis due to debt-distress and economic shocks necessitates urgent action to provide debt relief and increased liquidity. Thus, the Summit will call upon African leaders to make ambitious pledges and commitments through a “Pledging and Commitment Framework” to be developed as a guiding document. ACS will therefore make bold commitments towards turning the tide on climate change, not only in Africa but also globally.