As Mining Indaba 2024 takes place in Cape Town from 5 to 8 February, PWYP members are calling on African leaders to ensure that transitional minerals bring real prosperity and development to the continent. Any commitments or agreements made over the four days and beyond should be in the best interests of people and communities.
What is happening?
Demand is soaring for the raw materials the world needs to secure a clean energy future. Africa has abundant reserves of these “transition minerals”, which are used in wind and solar technologies and in the production of electric vehicles. Fierce competition for these minerals is accelerating between foreign powers, spurred in part by China’s dominance of global mineral processing. In response, countries and blocs such as the United States and the European Union are concluding bilateral agreements for minerals.
Mineral extraction in Africa is already plagued by corruption, greed, environmental damage and human rights abuses. The urgency and scale of demand for Africa’s transition minerals will only increase pressure on producing countries to ‘fast-track’ licensing and open up mining in sensitive and high-risk areas. This will lead to increased corruption and human rights and environmental abuses, in particular land grabbing, pollution and contamination of water and land.
There is a significant risk that unbridled transitional mining will leave African countries stuck as suppliers of raw materials, with mining damaging local communities and the environment, but with no potential to provide access to domestic energy for the people who own these minerals.
So what can we do?
There is a window of opportunity; a more mature discussion is emerging on Africa’s vision for just transition, energy sovereignty and its transition minerals, including how they will be used, by whom and who will benefit. The annual Mining Indaba is a key moment when mining stakeholders, including African governments, companies and investors, come together to discuss the future of mining.
PWYP calls on them to ensure a responsible and sustainable transition of minerals, bringing prosperity and development to the people of Africa, as well as ensuring full respect for the rights of communities.
PWYP delegates are also participating in the Alternative Mining Indaba to exchange and strategise with other civil society organisations:
Participation in the AMI is important to ensure the voice of communities and civil society in mining decisions at the regional level. Countries in the sub-Saharan region face similar challenges and the AMI is an opportunity to share these challenges and best practices to improve mining governance in our respective countries. Tamika Halwiindi
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