"Ghana will not export its raw lithium (Minister of Mines)"

16 June 2023

[...]

Ghana is not the first lithium-rich African country to increase its participation in the mineral value chain. Namibia announced in early June a ban on the export of critical metals such as graphite, rare earths and lithium in their raw state, while Zimbabwe, Africa's sole lithium producer, is considering taxing lithium concentrate exports to boost a local processing industry. Reduced for decades to the simple status of supplier of raw materials, several African mining countries intend to take advantage of the energy transition to produce locally products used in batteries and electric vehicles. Since a recent AfDB report estimates that Africa, limited to the export of raw minerals, would benefit only $ 55 billion in a market for batteries and electric vehicles estimated at $8.8 trillion by 2025, nationalisation became an imperative.