Partner London
"Africa is emerging as an epicentre for critical minerals that are essential for global energy transition initiatives, such as cobalt, lithium, copper, graphite and rare earth elements."
key trends in African Critical Mineral Projects
Africa is emerging as an epicentre for critical minerals that are essential for global energy transition initiatives, such as cobalt, lithium, copper, graphite and rare earth elements. These minerals are the backbone of clean energy technologies such as electric vehicle batteries, wind turbines, solar panels and hydrogen fuel cells. The continent currently holds:
- 30% of global mineral reserves relevant to clean energy technology;
- over 70% of global cobalt production, primarily from the DRC; and
- significant untapped deposits of lithium (Zimbabwe, Namibia and Ghana), nickel (Tanzania and Madagascar), graphite (Mozambique and Tanzania) and iron ore (Guinea).¹
Africa’s Response and Vision for Value Capture
Historically, Africa’s role in global mineral supply chains has been largely extractive, with raw ores exported and value-added activities (e.g. refining, component manufacturing and technology development) occurring outside the continent. This model has limited the continent’s ability to generate jobs, build industrial capacity and insulate itself from commodity price volatility.
Today, however, there is a growing push for Africa to break from this legacy. Various leaders and institutions from the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa are calling for a shift toward vertically integrated value chains, regional industrial hubs and strategic resource governance. Initiatives like the Africa Green Minerals Strategy, the Africa Mining Vision and the African Continental Free Trade Area are all laying the groundwork for a more assertive and coordinated approach.²
With global powers like the USA, China, the EU and the Gulf States all competing for access to Africa’s mineral wealth, the continent has a rare opportunity to leverage its resources for structural transformation and not just revenue. In the long term this means investing in infrastructure, skills and technology; enforcing local content and beneficiation policies; and ensuring that communities benefit from the mineral boom.
In this context, the rise of mega-infrastructure critical mineral projects across Africa, such as the Simandou project in Guinea and the copper belt regions in Zambia and DRC, reflects a broader shift. These projects are not only responses to global demand but also manifestations of Africa’s intent to assert greater agency in shaping its economic future. By anchoring mineral extraction to infrastructure development, industrial policy and regional integration, these ventures offer a pathway to transformative growth. As highlighted in our commentary on Ghana’s efforts to combat illegal mining,³ effective governance and enforcement will be critical to ensuring that resource development translates into long-term national benefit.
UNLOCKING AFRICA’S MINERAL WEALTH: THE ROLE OF INFRASTRUCTURE CORRIDORS
Africa’s mineral wealth is vast, but much of it lies in regions that are geographically isolated from global markets. Countries like Zambia, the DRC, Malawi and Niger are rich in copper, cobalt and other critical minerals, yet they face logistical hurdles that limit their ability to fully capitalise on these resources. Many of these nations are landlocked and the infrastructure they rely on (roads, railways, ports and power grids) is often outdated, fragmented or overstretched.
This is not simply a legacy of underdevelopment, but a reflection of historical patterns. Much of Africa’s transport infrastructure was originally designed to move raw materials out of the continent efficiently, rather than to support integrated regional trade or domestic value addition. Today, this results in logistics costs that are up to 250% higher than the global average, with poor connectivity adding 30–40% to operational expenses for mining companies.⁴ Border crossings can be slow and complex, energy grids are frequently unreliable, and the capital required to modernise infrastructure remains a barrier for many governments and investors.
Key contacts
"Africa’s mineral wealth is vast, but much of it lies in regions that are geographically isolated from global markets."
However, these challenges also present a clear opportunity. Across the continent, there is a growing recognition that unlocking mineral wealth must go hand-in-hand with building the infrastructure to support inclusive growth. This is where projects like the Lobito Corridor, the revitalised Tanzania-Zambia Railway (“TAZARA Railway”) and the Simandou mine-rail-port complex come into focus — not just as transport solutions, but as strategic platforms for regional development. These projects represent a new generation of African mega ventures that aim to integrate resource extraction with infrastructure, industrial policy and community benefit.
Simandou as the Blueprint
The Simandou project in Guinea stands as a landmark example of what African mega projects can achieve when structured with long-term national benefit and community integration at their core. Valued at US$24bn , Simandou is the largest integrated greenfield mining and infrastructure development in Africa’s history. It encompasses four world-class iron ore blocks, a 600km multi-use railway and a new deepwater port on Guinea’s Atlantic coast, all designed to unlock the country’s vast high-grade iron ore reserves.
What sets Simandou apart is not just its scale, but its structural ambition. The project is being delivered through Compagnie du Transguinéen, a joint venture between Guinea, Rio Tinto, Chalco Iron Ore Holdings and Winning Consortium Simandou (a Chinese-led consortium). This multi-stakeholder model ensures that Guinea retains a direct stake in the infrastructure and mining assets, embedding national ownership into the project’s DNA.
Crucially, the infrastructure is multi-use and multi-user, meaning the railway and port are not exclusive to Simandou’s operators. This opens the corridor to other mining and agricultural producers, catalysing broader economic development across the region. The railway itself will connect remote inland communities to coastal markets by creating jobs, stimulating trade and improving mobility.
The project also embeds robust ESG commitments, including community development, environmental safeguards and local employment. These were central to the legal structuring of the project, on which we advised.
Simandou is more than a mining venture, it is a strategic template for how Africa can harness its mineral wealth to build infrastructure, attract diversified investment and drive inclusive growth. This vision has now come to life with the project’s first shipment of iron ore on 11 November 2025 – a landmark moment for Guinea and Africa.
The Lobito Corridor
The Lobito Corridor (“Corridor”) is a transformative infrastructure initiative linking the DRC and Zambia’s Copperbelt to the Atlantic port of Lobito in Angola via a 1,300km railway. Backed by a coalition of public and private partners including the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, the European Union Commission, the African Development Bank and the Africa Finance Corporation, the Corridor is being developed as Africa’s first open-access rail system. It is operated by Lobito Atlantic Railway, a joint venture between Trafigura, Mota-Engil and Vecturis, under a 30-year concession.⁵
The Corridor is designed to reduce usual export times from 30 days to just eight,⁶ bypassing congested eastern ports and offering a strategic alternative to China’s Belt and Road routes. But similarly to Simandou, its ambition goes beyond efficiency. The Corridor is structured to support multi-user access, enabling not only mining companies but also agricultural producers, traders and passengers to benefit. Angola is expected to receive over US$2bn in concession fees and the project includes plans for solar power installations, agro-processing hubs and job creation initiatives along the route.⁷ Environmental and social impact assessments are being funded by the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, underscoring the Corridor’s commitment to sustainability and community engagement.⁸
The Corridor’s long-term viability will depend on its ability to deliver more than just mineral exports. Policymakers in Angola, Zambia and the DRC are increasingly focussed on ensuring that infrastructure upgrades support local value addition, economic diversification and regional integration. This includes developing industrial zones, harmonising trade regulations and investing in skills and ancillary industries, from railway maintenance to food supply chains. The Corridor is also being positioned as a platform for public participation, with calls for inclusive decision-making and community consultation across all three countries.⁹
The TAZARA Railway
"Under a new 30-year concession, the project will deliver 32 locomotives and 762 wagons, alongside major upgrades to rail infrastructure."
The TAZARA Railway, originally built in the 1970s with Chinese support, is undergoing a US$1.4bn revitalisation led by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation. The 1,860km line connects Zambia’s Copperbelt to the port of Dar es Salaam, offering an eastern outlet for mineral exports and reinforcing China’s infrastructure footprint in East Africa.¹⁰
Under a new 30-year concession, the project will deliver 32 locomotives and 762 wagons, alongside major upgrades to rail infrastructure. The TAZARA Railway’s strategic role lies in its ability to complement the Corridor, offering an alternative route to the Indian Ocean and supporting regional trade integration. Whilst operational challenges remain, including harmonisation of customs procedures and long-term financing, the revitalisation reflects a broader commitment to improving connectivity and unlocking economic potential.
The TAZARA Railway is also being framed as a platform for regional cooperation, with Zambia, Tanzania and China emphasising its role in boosting trade, creating jobs and supporting industrial growth. The project includes environmental safeguards, community engagement strategies and efforts to formalise artisanal mining along the route.
Look out for our article series
Over the next three weeks, we will be publishing a series of three articles considering:
- the role of infrastructure corridors;
- foreign direct investment and geopolitical dynamics; and
- ESG considerations.
The articles will draw on our experience in the region and more broadly, working in conjunction with local partners.
signing up to receive our communications and get in touch with your usual WFW contact
If you want to receive copies of the further articles in this series or discuss these themes with our team, please get in touch with your usual WFW contact.
London Trainee Justin Wong also contributed to this article.
Footnotes
[1] https://www.mining.com/web/can-africa-ride-critical-minerals-wave-to-economic-boom/
[2] https://mo.ibrahim.foundation/news/2025/unlocking-africas-green-riches-extraction-industrialisation-monetising-critical-minerals
[3] Link to WFW article here: https://www.wfw.com/articles/indaba-2025-how-can-ghana-combat-illegal-mining/
[4] https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/policy/developing-africas-mineral-resources-what-needs-to-happen/
[5] https://www.trafigura.com/news-and-insights/press-releases/2023/concession-for-railway-services-transferred-to-lobito-atlantic-railway-in-angola/
[6] https://www.eureporter.co/world/democratic-republic-of-the-congo/2023/10/27/eu-us-drc-zambia-and-angola-sign-agreement-for-extension-of-lobito-corridor/
[7] https://macaonews.org/news/lusofonia/angola-to-earn-us2-billion-from-lobito-corridor-concession-to-mota-engil/
[8] https://tz.usembassy.gov/fact-sheet-partnership-for-global-infrastructure-and-investment-in-the-lobito-trans-africa-corridor/
[9] https://furtherafrica.com/2025/10/20/lobito-corridor-angolas-path-to-regional-power-and-global-relevance/
[10] https://constructionreviewonline.com/china-to-provide-1-4-billion-for-tanzania-zambia-railway-rehabilitation/
