African Green Minerals Observatory

Bauxite in Africa

Guinea, Ghana, Sierra Leone and Mozambique are the top four bauxite exporting countries in Africa, together accounting for at least one-third of the world’s proven bauxite reserves.

Guinea is the leading African countries involved in bauxite production. Guinea accounted for 7.4 million metric ton of bauxite reserves in 2021, which represented 24% of total global bauxite reserves.

Bauxite production

Guinea was the third largest producer of bauxite in 2021, with a production of 86 million tons representing 22% of global bauxite production.

Sierra Leone also has a significant bauxite mining operation and exported about 1.73 million tons of the ore in 2019.

Ghana is the continent’s third-largest bauxite exporter with 1.4Mt in 2019.

Mozambique is the fourth-largest bauxite exporter in Africa with 8,870 tons in 2019.

Cobalt in Africa

Africa holds a significant portion of the world's cobalt reserves, with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) leading with 48% of global reserves, amounting to 4 million tonnes. The DRC, Madagascar and Morocco represent 49% of global cobalt reserves. In 2021, the DRC dominated global cobalt production, accounting for 72%, while Madagascar and Morocco were the eighth and eleventh largest producers respectively.

The DRC's notable mining projects include the Metalkol, Tenke Fungurume, Sicomines, Mashamba East, and KOV mines. Madagascar's significant operation is the Ambatovy Mining Project. Key export destinations for cobalt include China, Singapore, South Korea, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands, the USA, Japan, South Africa, and Canada.

Cobalt reserves

The DRC, Madagascar and Morocco account for 4,113,000 tonnes of cobalt reserves, representing 49% of the world’s total cobalt reserves.

The countries with the largest share of global cobalt reserves are the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) (48%); Australia (18%); Indonesia (7%); Cuba (6%); along with the Philippines, Madagascar, Canada and Russia. 

• Global cobalt production is dominated by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) which has cobalt reserves amounting to 4,000,000 tonnes, constituting 48% of global reserves.
• Madagascar has the second largest reserves in Africa, with cobalt reserves amounting to 100,000 tonnes, and 1.2% of global reserves.

Copper in Africa

Africa plays a strategic role in global copper production and exploration, with major contributors being the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Zambia, South Africa, and Namibia. The DRC and Zambia together hold 6% of global copper reserves. Notable mining projects in the DRC include the Tenke Fungurume, Katanga, and Kamoa-Kakula projects. Zambia hosts significant operations like the Sentinel, Kansanshi, Lumwana, and Nchanga mining projects. South Africa’s Palabora Mining Project is a major copper mine.

Main export destinations for raw copper vary by country, with China being a key destination for the DRC, Switzerland for Zambia, and India for South Africa.

Copper reserves

Africa is a strategic region for copper production and exploration, with the major countries involved in the copper industry being the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Zambia, South Africa and Namibia.

• The DRC and Zambia together account for 50,000 tonnes of global copper reserves which represent 5% of total global copper reserves. 
• The top five countries with the largest share of copper reserves are Chile (23%); Australia (11%); Peru (9%); Russia (7%); and Mexico (6%). 

Graphite in Africa

Mozambique, Madagascar, and Tanzania together hold 69 million tonnes of graphite reserves, making up 21% of global reserves. In 2021, Mozambique and Madagascar were the third largest producers of graphite, each accounting for 6% of global production. Significant mining operations in these countries include the Balama Mining Project in Mozambique, the Molo Mining Project in Madagascar, and the Bunyu Mining Project in Tanzania. The main export destinations for graphite from these countries include Germany, the USA, China, and India. 

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has the potential to help develop regional supply chains, while investments are needed in graphite processing to capitalize on potential supply chain disruptions. 

Graphite reserves

Mozambique, Madagascar, and Tanzania are the major countries in Africa’s graphite supply chain and have a combined 69,000,000 tonnes in graphite reserves which constitute 21% of total global graphite reserves. 

Tanzania held reserves of 18,000,000 tonnes, accounting for 5% of global graphite reserves in 2021.

The top five countries globally with the largest share of graphite reserves are Turkey (27%); Brazil (22%); China (16%);  Madagascar (8%); and Mozambique (8%). 

Lithium in Africa

Africa plays a significant role in the global lithium market with key countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Mali, Zimbabwe, Ghana, and Namibia holding a combined 4.9 million tons of lithium reserves, which accounts for 6% of the world's total reserves. Among these, Zimbabwe is a notable player, ranking as the seventh largest producer of lithium globally in 2021 with 710 metric tons of production and reserves totaling 310,000 metric tons.

Main export destinations

The majority of Africa’s lithium production is exported to China. China is the world’s largest importer, refiner, and consumer of lithium, purchasing 70% of lithium compounds and supplying 70% of the world’s lithium production, primarily to its domestic lithium battery manufacturers.

Manganese in Africa

South Africa is the largest producer of manganese globally, along with Gabon, Ghana, and Côte d’Ivoire, contributing significantly to Africa’s manganese production. These countries hold a combined total of 714,000 metric tons in manganese reserves, accounting for 43% of the global total.

South Africa processes some manganese ore into ferromanganese before exporting and has projects for battery-grade materials like the Manganese Metal Company’s lithium-ion battery precursor project. In March 2024, the company announced plans to build a $25 million commercial plant to produce 5,000 metric tons of battery-grade manganese sulfate annually by the end of 2026. 

Manganese reserves in Africa

South Africa has reserves of 640,000 metric tons (38% of global total).

Gabon has reserves of 61,000 metric tons (4% of global total).

Ghana has reserves of 13,000 metric tons (1% of global total).

Nickel in Africa

Africa contributes to 4.2% of the global annual nickel production, with South Africa and Madagascar leading in the continent. South Africa produces 1.8% and Madagascar 1.4% of the world's nickel. The key producers in 2021 were South Africa (31,800 tons), Madagascar (29,400 tons), and Ivory Coast (27,800 tons).

Africa is poised to benefit from the increasing demand and prices of battery-grade nickel, particularly with ongoing projects like South Africa's Thakadu Nickel Sulphate Project and Tanzania's Kabanga Nickel Project. The Thakadu project, part of South Africa’s Black Industrialists Programme, began producing battery-grade nickel sulphate in March 2021. In Tanzania, Lifezone Metals' Kabanga project, one of the largest undeveloped nickel sulfide deposits, received a processing facility license in 2024, marking a significant step in Africa's nickel production and processing capabilities.

Nickel reserves

Seven African countries produce nickel, with upcoming production in Tanzania taking the total to eight. These African countries at present account for 4.2% of global annual nickel production. 

South Africa (1.8%) and Madagascar (1.4%) are the only African countries that each account for more than 1% of global nickel production. 

Rare earth minerals in Africa

Key African countries involved in rare earth mineral production in 2021 included Madagascar, Burundi, South Africa, and Tanzania. South Africa and Tanzania together held 1.6 million tons of rare earth reserves, making up 2% of the global total. Madagascar was the sixth largest producer, contributing 6,800 metric tons (2%) of the global supply, while Burundi produced 200 metric tons.

Export data for African countries is scarce, but as of 2024, China processes 90% of the world's rare earth metals, suggesting it is the main recipient of African exports. Benchmark Mineral Intelligence indicates that 37% of Africa’s future rare earth supply is already committed to Chinese buyers, with the rest available for other markets. By 2029, eight new rare earth mines in Tanzania, Angola, Malawi, and South Africa are expected to start production, potentially contributing 9% to the global supply.

Rare earth mineral reserves

The major African countries involved in rare earth mineral production during 2021 included Madagascar, Burundi, South Africa and Tanzania.

South Africa and Tanzania together accounted for 1.6 million tons of global rare earth reserves, which represents 2% of total global rare earth reserves.

The top five countries with the largest share of rare earth reserves in 2021 were China (34%); Vietnam (17%); Brazil (16%); Russia (16%) and India (5%).