The UK announced a pledge to help African countries expand their critical mineral supply chains with a focus on promoting mineral exploration and processing, generating value added activities, and creating local jobs during the Critical Minerals Africa 2023 summit on Wednesday 18th October.
“African countries rightly have a high level of ambition for unlocking the value of their natural resources, and the UK will work with them in partnership to support the delivery of their ambitions,” stated Ambassador Antony Phillipson, British High Commissioner to South Africa. “We are committed to increasing our investment in the continent and strengthening the transparency and resilience of the supply chain for critical minerals creating green jobs in Africa, while taking action on climate change.”
To be launched next week, the pledge will take the form of an initial R20-million contribution and comes on the back of growing cooperation between the UK and Africa in the critical minerals arena. Last November, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa conducted a state visit to the UK seeking to leverage British capital and technology toward building South Africa’s industrial capacity.
The UK already represents the largest international investor in South Africa, which is home to 80% of global platinum group metal reserves, 70% of global manganese reserves, and substantial reserves of vanadium and magnesium.
