Within the six months to June 30, EU recognized 4 main mining tasks in Africa amongst its 13 globally strategic targets underneath the Essential Uncooked Supplies Act.
These tasks unfold throughout Malawi, South Africa, Madagascar and Zambia will obtain direct EU financing and technical assist.
EU sees Africa as a key provider of vital uncooked supplies important to decarbonisation, inexperienced applied sciences, and clear vitality worth chains.
Within the six months to June 30, 2025, the European Union considerably ramped up its monetary and technical assist for Africa’s mining sector, aligning its international funding technique with the continent’s rising position within the world vitality transition. This renewed focus underscores Africa’s huge potential as a provider of vital uncooked supplies which might be important to decarbonisation, inexperienced applied sciences, and clear vitality worth chains.
In June, the EU recognized 4 Africa-based initiatives amongst its 13 globally strategic tasks underneath the Essential Uncooked Supplies Act. These embody Mkango Assets’ 8,425-tonne-per-annum Songwe Hill Uncommon Earths Challenge in Malawi, Frontier Uncommon Earths’ 4,000-tonne-per-annum Zandkopsdrift magnet-grade uncommon earths undertaking in South Africa, Evion Group’s Maniry Graphite Challenge in Madagascar, and a 6,000-tonne-per-annum cobalt refinery in Zambia.
Every undertaking is ready to obtain direct EU monetary backing and technical help, additional underscoring the continent’s strategic significance in securing future world provide chains.
As momentum builds, Africa Mining Week 2025, which will probably be going down from October 1–3 in Cape City, South Africa, will function a high-level platform for showcasing Africa’s mining funding alternatives. The occasion is ready to function a devoted EU-Africa Roundtable, reinforcing Europe’s dedication to sustainable growth in Africa’s mineral sector and providing European traders a front-row seat to the continent’s quickly evolving extractives panorama.
EU ties with DRC amid rising demand for vital uncooked minerals
In a transfer that reinforces its strategic mining partnership with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the EU unveiled two new packages in June aimed toward strengthening the nation’s place in world mineral worth chains. Because the world’s main producer of cobalt and Africa’s high copper exporter, the DRC performs a pivotal position within the vitality transition.
Among the many initiatives is the Cobalt for Growth undertaking, which seeks to formalize and uplift small-scale mining operations, selling accountable sourcing and improved livelihoods. Complementing that is the Panafgeo+ geological mapping program, led by France’s Bureau of Geological and Mining Analysis in collaboration with the DRC’s Ministry of Mines, which is able to improve the nation’s geological data and unlock new exploration alternatives.
These developments will probably be in sharp focus at Africa Mining Week 2025, the place a key panel dialogue, “The Cobalt Alternative: DRC’s Strategic Place within the EV Revolution,” will discover rising traits and funding prospects throughout the DRC’s cobalt sector worth chain.
EU funding on Africa’s mineral transport corridors
Past mining operations, the EU is actively investing within the infrastructure wanted to attach Africa’s mineral wealth with world markets. Already, the Africa Finance Company has secured a €250 million, 10-year mortgage from Italy’s growth financial institution Cassa Depositi e Prestiti to advance the Lobito Hall — a strategic commerce route that strengthens transport hyperlinks between Angola, Zambia, the DRC, and European patrons.
In the meantime, the European Funding Financial institution has authorised a €113 million mortgage to assist the growth of Mauritania’s iron ore rail line connecting the mining hub of Zouérat to the Atlantic port of Nouadhibou. This funding is a part of a broader €461 million funding bundle aimed toward considerably growing Mauritania’s iron ore export capability and bettering regional connectivity.
Collectively, these initiatives replicate a rising EU dedication to not solely safe vital uncooked supplies from Africa but additionally to co-invest within the logistical and structural spine wanted to assist long-term, sustainable commerce partnerships.
EU’s €4.7Bn to speed up South Africa’s inexperienced minerals economic system
The EU has introduced a €4.7 billion financing bundle to assist mineral processing, inexperienced hydrogen growth, and transport infrastructure in South Africa—the world’s main producer of platinum group metals (PGMs). This important dedication highlights the EU’s rising emphasis on constructing diversified, safe, and sustainable provide chains for vital minerals important to inexperienced applied sciences.
At Africa Mining Week (AMW) 2025, a devoted panel will delve into South Africa’s evolving PGMs market, spotlighting funding alternatives for European companies throughout the nation’s mineral worth chain.
Backing artisanal mining reforms in Africa
In a parallel transfer to assist extra inclusive and accountable mining practices, the EU has reaffirmed its dedication to the ACP-EU Technical Help Facility for Commodity Useful resource Administration. Launched in February 2025, the initiative goals to help artisanal and small-scale miners (ASM) throughout Africa via formalization, capability constructing, and entry to coaching. This types a part of a broader effort by African governments and worldwide companions to raise ASM communities into the formal economic system.
At AMW, the dialogue will proceed via a high-level panel titled “ASM Regulation: Balancing Formalization and Livelihood Safety,” which is able to discover revolutionary insurance policies and methods for integrating small-scale mining into regulated frameworks—whereas safeguarding the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands who rely on it.
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